


Bonds That Can Change the Future

by angel4ewer



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Canon Universe, F/M, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2020-07-23 05:03:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 159,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20002753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel4ewer/pseuds/angel4ewer
Summary: After Zero Reverse separated Neo Domino City and Satellite, a lot of people died and children left orphans. Martha took a good care for them and raised few of the most known characters Crow, Jack and Yusei but there was one little girl growing up with them, who was accepted by the three boys shortly after coming to orphanage. She loved keeping flowers in her hair, so they named her Hanako (Flower Child). She was a happy child, always seeing beauty in everything and playing around with boys but she had one more passion: mechanics. Instead of toys, she’d play with hammers, screws and other tools, which sometimes made Martha worry she would get hurt. When they grew up, Jack left the Satellite, Yusei met new friends and Hanako moved under the Daedalus Bridge with Crow and promised to herself that she will take care for children and make their childhood the best she can just to show them that living in the Satellite isn’t that bad. One day, her life changes when she decides to reunite with her old friends from orphanage...





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note:
> 
> This is my first FanFiction (ever written or published) set in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Universe that follows canon story from episode 1 up to the last episode 154.
> 
> Only in this Universe, You'll find Hanako, whom You'll hopefully meet throughout the story. She's my OC but I won't give out any details about her, so that You can enjoy the story! This story is mostly based on events that actually happened during YGO 5D's series and are close to their sub version I just added my OC into the plot without changing it *much*.
> 
> I will also include number of episodes before every chapter that are following the plot... I'll try to write this as close to the original as possible, so that watching those episodes is not necessarily needed but will be there just in case You want to re-watch them for Your own satisfaction! ^_^

**Prologue**

“If someone told me I’m going to love rain this much, I'd probably laugh in their face”. Hanako thought to herself while looking through the window. It was cold and the air was moist. The window was slightly cracked, so Hanako could feel the breeze of air touching her tanned skin. Her brown braided hair was passing over her right shoulder touching her collar bones while she was playing with it. It wasn't actually raining, it was pouring heavily and that made her very happy. Rainy days somehow made her feel comfortable and she didn’t feel alone with only herself around. She enjoyed a good company but at times like this she preferred being alone, “It’s just me, myself and I”, she whispered as she was now caught in her own thoughts. “I don’t even remember when I became like this”, she lifted her head up to see the sky but it was all blurry; completely grey bursting in sadness, so it somehow managed to drown Hanako in its mood and she got lost in her imagination…

“Up here all alone again, are we?” She heard a familiar male voice behind her back that managed to take her out of her dreamy world back into that cold and monotonous reality. 

‘’Is it a bad thing to do?’’ Hanako’s voice reached the surface.

“Not at all!” She could feel that smile showed on a male’s face.

“You know I like being alone sometimes, Crow!” She turned to him returning the smile.

‘’Sometimes? It’s like all the time!’’ He looked at her like he was irritated but then they both started laughing when their eyes met and after a few moments, Hanako remembered how she was alone before a few seconds ago, so she started wondering why Crow was even looking for her.

‘’Is there anything you wanted to talk to me about?’’

‘’Actually: no. Kids are downstairs, we’re about to start with the goodnight story, so I was just wondering if you’ll be joining us today’’, he somehow seemed embarrassed and shy at the same time, which isn’t like Crow at all. The tone of his voice made her wonder what could be the reason of this strange feeling she was getting from him.

‘’And that’s it?’’ She raised one eyebrow judging him with her look.

‘’That would be all, ma’am!’’

‘’Stop with that silly jokes’’, his idea of calling her ma’am made her smile once again.

“You laugh so rarely that seeing you smile is like seeing a rain in the desert!”

‘’It’s not true!’’ Hanako curled her lips as her face turned red.

‘’Sorry… I just wanted to see you smile’’, he said gently scratching the back of his neck.

‘’Let’s go see the kids, Crow’’, she was still wearing a smile on her face when she grabbed Crow’s wrist and pushed him forward running towards the kitchen.

It was under the Daedalus Bridge they were living... Crow kept his hideout there ever since Team Satisfaction split up, taking care for orphans; children who lost their parents after the Zero Reverse incident or were discarded by others because they were from Satellite. For Crow and Hanako, Satellite was their Hometown, a place they grew up in, so they never disliked it even though the place itself was very dark, cold and could be very lonely at times. 

Crow kept stealing cards from Sector Security just to bring a smile on children’s faces; he was marked few times, so his face was covered in yellow marks from his forehead to his chin. One arrow under his right eye was there because he was trying to protect Hanako and ever since that happened, she started blaming herself for it even though Crow never looked at it that way. He himself would do anything just to protect her and other kids. He was always putting them first without even bothering about himself and his needs and that is why Hanako cherished his friendship so much but she couldn’t stop blaming herself for that one mark because she got caught in an incident almost a year ago and Crow had to take all the responsibility for it. It was her first and last time she did something law-breaking and promised to Crow she’ll never be involved in crime again but he didn’t take it as something bad; he was rather happy to have her by his side especially after Pearson’s death, when she kept upgrading his Blackbird and was taking a good care for it. She gathered all materials, sprayed a new colour on it, upgraded its wings and even added few gadgets that were missing from its inner system. She would go crazy just by seeing screws, hammers and wrenches...

Other kids used to play with cards and toys but not Hanako; she would have that huge smile complimenting her face while she was keeping gears in her hands, which made Crow wonder how she could be just one year younger than him, when it seemed she’s still a child. Even Pearson told Crow that she’ll be a great mechanic in the future. She loved Pearson even more than she realised and would spend days and nights with him in the garage upgrading and building duel runners and soon, before she knew it, it became her hobby and obsession. In fact, she’d get so obsessed with duel runners, she’d sometimes forget to sleep or eat, which was giving Crow a hard time dealing with her.

There were countless of times when he found her sleeping on the floor in the middle of Pearson’s garage or even in front of their house under the Daedalus Bridge and she would always keep holding her lucky wrench in her hand while sound asleep, so Crow had to carry her in and take her to her bed. It was his luck, that she was almost his height, just slightly shorter than him, so he had no problems carrying her from one place to another. Seeing her lovely and adorable face while she was sleeping made him wish for others to see how much she grew and how much she improved; he missed his old friends Jack, Kiryu and Yusei...

He missed those times they spent together; moreover, he was sure that Hanako missed them even more than he did; she just never showed it and it just gotten worse two years ago when Jack left Satellite and went to Neo Domino City. It was then when Hanako stopped coming to Yusei’s hideout and rather chose to be with Crow to help him take care for the kids and now it all made perfect sense to him: it must be the reason she stopped smiling so often…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Hanako (jap. 花子) These kanjis have meanings 'Flower' and 'Child' because Hanako loved wearing flowers in her hair ever since she was a little girl.  
> She has two nicknames: Baby and Ako (short from Hanako).  
> The first nickname was given to her by Jack but You'll find out more details about it later in the story.  
> 'Ako' is not used very often but it has a double meaning; this can mean 'my child' in jap. 吾子 when written like this and it also means 'if' when used in Croatian (which is actually a word play because I always wondered what it'd look like IF I was a part of the YGO 5D's Universe, so there You have it)!


	2. Satellite Scum

1st Chapter

(following anime episode 1)

**Satellite Scum**

Yusei was riding his D-Wheel through an old subway that was all in ruins and cracks. With the cracked ceiling above his head and the sunlight stretching its light through them, Yusei was concentrating on the speed. It was a test run to check the durability and a tire rotation stability of his D-Wheel. The night was calm and peaceful but Yusei’s mind couldn’t be at rest; he was thinking about Jack and how he took his Stardust Dragon and his first runner away from him just so that he can escape from Satellite to Neo Domino City. It wasn’t because of Jack he was doing this but because of his ace monster; he just had to take his Stardust back to his deck. It wasn’t the card itself or Jack who took it but rather Yusei’s pride as a duellist that kept him going. He felt deep down inside like he gained something that wasn’t there before; it was the connection he gained with his cards and his heart that now believed everything is possible. He finally gathered that confidence and strength that he was missing before and Jack’s words were something that made him realize all that.

_“A duel can’t be won by monsters alone; it can’t be won by just Magics and Traps alone either. Only with them all joining together as one will they add up. And what you need most of all to amass yourself victory is right here!”_

As he was thinking about Jack’s words and actions more and more, Yusei’s runner was speeding up and it looked like it was going to let him down. As Yusei’s anger grew, his engine almost could’ve felt his feelings bursting all his emotions out in the process. After few more meters, the engine couldn’t last any longer and it broke, causing Yusei to break and turn his runner vertically to the road he was driving through. He just took off his helmet without any other actions and looked at the sky through cracked ceiling. His look was stagnant and calm but his mind spoke another story. “ _I’m coming for you, Jack! Just you wait!_ He thought to himself. “ _And Baby... I wish you were around now; somehow all this mess would’ve been easier to handle...”_ He sighed and slowly started pulling his runner toward his Hideout. It was still peaceful and he was all alone in the subway, so his steps were echoing through its halls. It didn’t take him long, as he was already near the place where his friends were living. When he reached his destination, he heard a sound of TV.

“It seemed like you were getting tossed around by the challenger’s trap in the start of things, but you managed to stay two, even three moves ahead. Am I right?” it was the sound of duel championship commentator’s voice coming from the TV that was playing turned on while Yusei was dragging his runner up the board from the subway tracks.

Sound of another voice started coming up from the TV, “If a King went all out right off the start, it’d be over in a second!” Yusei knew that voice too well. It was his friend Jack Atlas, the same Jack that left this Satellite two years ago and short afterwards became the Duel King in Neo Domino City. Yusei tried to ignore all this stuff because fixing his runner comes first! He took some tools and started fixing the broken engine. The damage wasn’t big, so he had only couple of thing to change… If he only had another chip, all this would’ve been a lot easier to handle. Right behind his back, his friends Blitz, Nerve and Taka were watching the TV without even blinking, they were so into it that they didn’t notice Yusei at all. When he finished with repairing few major things on his runner, Yusei looked behind his back and seeing how no one ever noticed his appearance, he revved his engine just to get their attention.

“Yo, Yusei”, said Blitz turning off the TV.

Taka jumped in as he wanted to explain himself, “Sorry about that, Jack’s been bugging us after all. And this is the only place the TV will get reception.”

“He sure was something. He’s getting even stronger”, Blitz added.

Yusei was silent at first and to his friends it looked like he was too busy with connecting his runner to a computer programme and typing something in.

“Was he facing a wimp?” Yusei finally spoke.

“Yeah, Jack completely toyed around with him”, explained Nerve, which made Yusei give his answer right away.

“He was probably no big deal, then...”

Awkward silence broke their conversation, so Taka decided to ask the first thing that came to his mind, “Say, how’s your D-wheel holding up?”

But just when he asked him that, he remembered one more thing, so he continued not giving Yusei a chance to answer, “By the way, what happened to that little girl of yours?”

Yusei was silent, still fixing his runner but Blitz reacted in a second, “Oh, you mean Baby?”

“She has her name, you idiots”, Nerve rolled his eyes.

“Sorry, Nerve”, said Taka laughing, “I forgot you have a soft spot on her”.

Nerve was pushed out of control but Taka didn’t lie; it was true only, Nerve never managed to admit it to himself. This whole conversation that brought Hanako up made even Blitz curious, “Yeah, Yusei! She was like your apprentice, always hanging out with you and running around you like a puppy. But ever since Jack left, she stopped coming...”

“Maybe she’s on Jack’s side”, Taka concluded.

“No way!!!” Nerve wasn’t happy with that statement.

“It’s her life, she can do with it what she wants”, Yusei said calmly completely ignoring Blitz’s statement about her being his apprentice but his words made him think, “ _If she’s still alive...”_ He didn’t want to think about it that way and was never showing emotions when it came to Hanako but in reality, not seeing her for 2 long years did make his heart tear apart. He was always questioning his acts and thinking why she stopped coming to this Hideout in the first place. Maybe it was something he said or did that hurt her feelings, maybe she had a good reason to stop seeing him, maybe she was mad or something like that... But Yusei knew it was nothing like her! The only reason why he never saw her again, could be that she disappeared or died in the process... It wasn’t the greatest conclusion but Yusei couldn’t stop thinking about it in that way.

Taka, on the other hand, came to another idea, “Maybe something happened to her... After all, she’s just a child”, his sentence stroke Yusei like lightning because he was thinking the same thing just few seconds ago when Blitz interrupted their conversation.

“Yeah, how old could she be by now? Thirteen, fourteen?”

“Sixteen”, Yusei answered in his tone.

“See, I told ya!” Said Taka all proud of himself but Nerve just couldn’t let that through.

“But you do realise she’s just two years younger than Yusei is now?”

Everyone was silent thinking about everything they just said. All this Hanako thing made Nerve very nervous and curious at the same time, as he was now thinking how great it would be to see Hanako again and only idea of her being dead made his body shiver. Not wanting to let Yusei go just so nothing would happen to him too, Nerve broke the silence, “Don’t go there, Yusei! You can tell just by looking, can’t you?”

“Yeah, it’s true”, Taka began, “Wonder what’s up with Jack’s D-Wheel from bef -”.

“Get a clue already!” Nerve pushed Taka’s head down towards the ground what made Taka groan trying to explain himself.

“But we are all mad at Jack! If truth be told, Yusei would probably be the king in that Stadium!” He stopped for a moment, “To top it off, that damn Jack took the D-Wheel that Yusei managed to build”.

Yusei still kept his words to himself trying to busy himself with checking the system on his runner once again while guys kept looking at him with worried looks on their faces. Nerve was still thinking about Hanako, trying to find a way to see her or just to make sure she is still alive here somewhere in Satellite. He was also worried about Yusei since he knew how conversations about Jack could be painful and sore to Yusei.

“You know guys, Rally used to hang out with her a lot! Maybe he knows where she could be hiding”, Blitz said all of a sudden, so everyone else had to think first before they realised he was still trapped in conversation about Hanako while they moved to Jack again. Yusei wished for those words to be true when he heard steps running towards them.

“Yusei!” Someone called his name, so he snapped out of his thoughts and looked to his right side.

“Speaking of devil...” Nerve commented.

It was a young boy with curly red hair with a yellow mark on his face. The boy came downstairs to meet Yusei, so others gave him a warming welcome when they saw him but his actions surprised them, as he just smiled seeing them here and ran to Yusei straight after that, shouting for Yusei’s name once again.

“Oy, what’s the big rush?” Blitz was annoyed by the boy’s action but didn’t bother while looking at little boy, as he ran to Yusei reaching for his pocket and pulling something out of it.

“You can use this for your D-Wheel, can’t you?” He had a huge smile on his face while Yusei was looking at the acceleration chip in boy’s hand.

“What is it?” Taka was confused and Nerve reacted as soon as he laid eyes on that thing.

“Hey, this is brand new, isn’t it? Where’d you get this?!?”

“N-no, you got it wrong! I found this in some junk”, young boy explained trying to push the blame away from himself. Guys looked at each other not happy with what Rally said, so Nerve reacted again.

“You haven’t been stealing again, have you?”

“If that turns out to be stolen, we all could get caught!” Taka explained what made Blitz react, too.

“I’d hate if they put this thing on us...” He was pointing to the yellow mark on Rally’s face implying how those markers are criminal marks for those who steal and break the law.

“Lay off”, Yusei finally said breaking in into their conversation and coming closer to the boy showing him the palm of his hand. The boy looked confused at first but then handed the chip to Yusei. “I’ll use it”, he said going back to his D-Wheel.

“Are you sure, Yusei?” Nerve was worried while others weren’t happy with that decision and the only one hyped and thrilled about it was the boy himself.

“Bet’cha it’s gonna be fast. I guarantee it even!” He pulled his hands into fists not even trying to hide his emotions while looking at Yusei replacing his old chip with the new one.

“You know, Yusei, I can understand where you’re coming from, but you should give this Jack business a rest”, Blitz tried to scold Yusei for his idea of going to Neo Domino City thinking how Yusei will be able to let it go easier that way.

“Yusei is going to settle the scores with Jack!” Rally interrupted being disrespectful to Blitz, so they broke into a fight but Blitz got fed up of arguing with a kid, so he pushed him aside, giving his question to Yusei.

“Are you really going to leave here?”

“I’m not _leaving,_ I’m _going_ ”, Yusei explained connecting the chip and updating the system on his D-Wheel.

“Just give it up. You know he doesn’t belong with us”, Nerve was trying to stop Yusei because he thought Jack was never a part of their gang, “Jack has been different from us from the very start”, he sighed but Yusei showed no emotions to this. He just stood up and accelerated his engine when the programme finished with updates. The engine was sliding without any interruptions and with its sound echoing through the halls of the subway, Yusei was happy with what he’s done. Nerve whistled in excitement while everyone was amazed by the state of Yusei’s engine.

“So?” Rally started jumping in place happily while giving Yusei a huge smile, “It’s nothing like before, is it?” His sentence made Yusei nod with a smile, so young boy took Yusei’s helmet asking him to test the engine and take his runner for a spin.

Seeing Rally so hyped about Yusei’s runner, Nerve remembered the conversation they had few moments ago, so his word drew Yusei’s and Rally’s attention, “Say, Rally... Do you know what happened with Hanako?” Everyone was surprised with Nerve’s sudden change of subject and Rally took some time to remember who Hanako was.

“Oh!” He smiled, “You mean Baby?”

“Yeah, Baby”, Nerve slightly blushed.

Yusei was reaching for his helmet intending to take it away from Rally but he was distracted by Nerve’s question about Hanako, so he stopped. Even though he never wanted to show it, he couldn’t help himself but wonder what happened to her and whether Rally knows where she might be or not. In fact, Rally’s words gave him hope that she could still be alive.

“You see... She’s actually...”

His words were broken by the light from above. High sound of helicopter was bursting through the air and its flashlight was coming through the cracks of the ceiling.

"Shit! It's Security!" One of the guys shouted.

"Verification number AWX-86007, Rally Dawson, you're suspected of larceny! Surrender yourself immediately!" They heard announcement from the police. Yusei stepped knowing how he had to calm down first to think straight while police was talking through the loudspeaker, "Come out! As long as that marker is on you, you won't be able to escape!"

Blitz and Taka were judging Rally with their looks while he was holding Yusei's helmet keeping the feelings of guilt to himself.

"Why you!" Nerve reacted with anger pulling his right hand into the air but Rally put Yusei's helmet in front of his face to guard himself from Nerve, as he was now afraid that Nerve will hit him.

"I'm sorry! I really did take it from the plant. But only 'cause I wanted Yusei to beat Jack!"

Rally's words made Nerve even angrier, so Yusei felt the need to hop in and take the Rally's side. He put his hand in front of Nerve trying to stop his intentions, "That's enough", Yusei moved away and walked to his runner but Nerve wasn't too happy about it.

Taka jumped in, "We can't get out of here with that marker on him. It's sending a signal that's linked up to Security!" His words made Rally put his hand on his marker, as he was feeling guilty for brining others into danger.

"You are to blame for this, too", Nerve was angry at Yusei now because he was afraid they'll get caught by Security.

Yusei ignored Nerve's anger and started typing something on his laptop. The system reproduced some strange noises after what he just sat on his runner and took the helmet from Rally, "The marker's signal is disrupted".

"You mean you jammed it?” Nerve was shocked.

"You guys should move it. I'll draw Security away", Yusei said calmly showing them the exit and with that being said, he started his engine accelerating from the West Subway onto the streets of Satellite where officer Ushio was sitting on his police runner keeping an eye on the city. Nothing law-threatening was going on, so he thought he might fall asleep when he heard strange noises.

"A D-wheel?!?" officer Trudge reacted seeing a red runner passing the tracks. He immediately turned on his police sirens and started chasing the runner with his police D-wheel while Yusei was trying to drag them away so that his friends can escape; this ride also helped him test the new acceleration chip he got from Rally.

"It's fast... The front and back tire output, the rotational speed balance control... They're all perfect", Yusei thought to himself but his later thoughts were interrupted by the officer.

"Hey, you on the D-Wheel! You've got nowhere to run! Pull over!" But Yusei chose to be ignorant to this having the helicopter flashlight above his head and a police runner right behind his back, he was speeding through the city trying to corner them somehow.

The chase continued, as Yusei broke in half of the way, turning his D-Wheel aggressively to the left corner breaking the old and rusty fence by passing through it. He stopped after few more meters hitting the break and getting used to the speed, acceleration and slowing down. He stood there, looking at the officers. One was on his runner and two of them were following him in the police vehicle but only one of them went out of the car.

Officer Ushio approached Yusei, "Hey, where'd you steal that D-Wheel from?" He removed glass protector from his helmet, doing his police job and checking the situation but Yusei was silent not answering the question, so Ushio started laughing seeing him completely cornered. "No marker, eh? Hah, so you're just a decoy? I guess scum stick their necks out for fellow scum, huh?" Ushio was using bad words trying to insult the boy from Satellite but not even after all those words, Yusei spoke. He rather kept his thoughts to himself and after Ushio failed in gaining information from him, he continued, "Thanks to you also aiding in the escape, you did a fine job giving us reasons to place you under custody. Ah, better ask you where that D-Wheel came from too".

"Hey..." Yusei’s words surprised Ushio as he was not expecting this from a guy that remained silent ever since they met, "Duel me", he ended but his words made Ushio laugh.

"Some Satellite scum duel with me?" He put his hands on his hips trying to look dangerous and almost life threatening, "You don't even have any cards. Don't make me laugh!"

After his big speech, Yusei picked up his deck and showed it to the officer, "I found some cards", he put his deck into the deck holder on his duel disk, "If I win, you'll forget everything that happened today", he added calmly but another officer that got out of the car didn't like this at all, so he approached the officer.

"You're crazy if you think..." But his words were stopped when Ushio's left hand showed in front of him.

"Why not?” Ushio said, "I'm game for it!"

"Ushio-san, that's not wise at all", the officer tried to be reasonable.

"This'll be my responsibility. You guys head back", Ushio answered with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Ushio-san..." The officer was persistent but Ushio turned back to him changing the tone of his voice.

"Just go... You think I'm going to lose or something?" His look was stabbing through the officer’s soul making him step back and informing another officer from the car that they should just listen to what Ushio-san said.

When they left, Yusei finally said, "You're quite the interesting guy!"

"What are you driving at?"

"I never trusted Security but duellists are a different story. You entered this duel, so I'll trust you", Yusei moved his look away hoping for the best.

"This punk is starting to give me a headache..." Ushio murmured angrily trying to reach his runner while Yusei was preparing his runner for a quick start.

Yusei got into his position for the duel waiting for the officer to do the same, “ _What was it Rally was trying to say?”_ He thought to himself keeping his hopes that Hanako might still be alive and wandering on the streets of Satellite, somewhere close to him. “ _Rally must know something... But if she's still alive, why would Rally keep that a secret from me?”_

“Here goes!” Ushio shouted waking Yusei's mind up and dragging it to the present moment by activating the field spell Speed World, but Yusei had some final thoughts to himself.

“Just you wait for me, Baby! Once I'm done with Jack, I'm sure going to find you, you'll see!”

“Duel!” They both said in unison.

“And if it was me that stopped you from coming, I'll make it up to you...”


	3. Scrap-iron Flower

2nd Chapter

(following anime episodes 1 and 2)

**Scrap-iron Flower**

Hanako was speeding through the streets of Satellite occasionally stepping onto the pedal of her ice blue runner because she always wanted to paint her runner in the colours of Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. It was a hybrid she made with a little help she got from Pearson around 3 years ago, so her duel disk could be attached to its dashboard or removed as she needed it while her seat was slightly leaned towards the console. Her handles were joined with the back of her runner and the seat was high enough to reach half of her back while her tires remained the same size with her cowl cover wider than on usual runners. Only her engine was made by Robert Pearson and was unique unlike other runner in the town. She always believed that only Pearson could be able to design an engine like that, so she was proud of her runner. Pearson also installed the programme on it, found acceleration chip and built in a strongbox for the cards she collected. Pearson was an amazing guy (or as such she saw him), kind and selfless, who was always there for other kids trying to make them laugh, so Hanako really looked up to him and promised herself that one day, she will be just like him: designing D-Wheels and bringing smiles on children’s faces.

It was a silent night with just the Moon in the sky lightening her way. She was out trying to find some spare parts on the scrap yard. D-Wheel Scrapyard in Satellite (or so it was called), was the place where remnants of Duel Runners were thrown. Every destroyed, incomplete or crashed runner would be transported from Neo Domino City to Satellite via trash pipes to that scrap yard, but not all of them were completely useless; some of them could just be repainted or had other good parts for Hanako’s collection. She was going there twice a month just to see what she can find.

“This Satellite really is a dead city”, she murmured. She often found herself speaking her thought up which sometimes brought her more problems than solutions but she couldn’t help it, “Well... I guess it's just you and me, Sweetie”, she said smiling to her runner. It's not strange for her to talk with things that are not alive, especially when it comes to engines, gears, runners, cars and other mechanic-related parts or vehicles. She was doing this ever since she was a child, so she had a hard time becoming a part of the group or even being accepted by other children. Her deck used to contain only normal monster cards with few spells and traps that she found on the streets, so it was very hard for her to even duel but seeing her passion, Crow decided to make her wishes come true by stealing a bunch of cards that were discarded by some elite from The Tops in Neo Domino City. Those cards were based on Ice Barrier monsters and spells, what reminded him of Hanako, so he thought it’d be a perfect gift for her but she never found out what was the reason behind it. However, she was so happy to have a deck as powerful as that even though it was rejected by The Tops because everyone was making fun of it; monsters were not that powerful in ATK or DEF but Hanako realised that their effect can be very useful and dangerous if they join their power just like she used to do when she had Jack, Crow and Yusei by her side. If they stick together, their bond has the power to conquer the world. Leaded by that thought, she accepted the deck Crow stole for her and upgraded it keeping in mind all those lessons she got from Yusei while she was still hanging out with him.

Enjoying the silence of the night, she remembered the moment she placed her hands on this deck for the first time. She smiled on the thought of Crow’s face when she burst out of joy and happiness when she saw her ace monster Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier in that same deck. She immediately fell in love with it but her favourite monster wasn’t her ace monster; she had another guy she trusted with whole her heart and that card was Blizzard Warrior (ATK 1 400 / DEF 400) with an effect that allows her to look the top card of her opponent’s deck and return it on either top or bottom of their deck. That effect wasn’t much but just by seeing the next card her opponent was supposed to draw let her get to know her opponent better, so she felt a strong connection to this card. Just like she can see a glowing light around people, sometimes called auras, and sense their emotions and feelings; that Blizzard Warrior could see into their deck and allow her to see what’s hiding inside of it. Remembering all this made her look up for her Blizzard Warrior and take a look at it while she was driving her runner through Satellite. She was sticking to the lower part of the street because she was heading back home under the Daedalus Bridge but then she heard noise that seemed to be an engine from a runner. "A hybrid?" Hanako assumed from the sound of the engine. "I wonder who could be around here at this hour..." She started following the sound but when she came closer, she saw a red runner speeding over her head on an upper highway. It was much faster than hers, so she couldn't see it clearly but the sound of that engine was giving her body goose bumps.

"Wow, that speed is incredible! I wonder who that might be..." She sighed after the runner slipped her eyes, "Well... No one important, I guess”, she thought, “Besides, that runner could be stolen or only have built-in engine that was stolen from someone”. She saw Pearson do this kind of thing hundreds of times before, so she realised she shouldn’t be surprised like that, “And no one I know has a red runner, so just give up, Hanako!” She shook her head when a strange fog drew her attention. She stopped her runner to see what’s going on. “Well isn’t that our grandpa Ushio?” She smiled murmuring to herself when she saw a police runner standing in the middle of the street. She was lucky to be standing with her runner on the upper platform, so the officer couldn’t see her because the whole street was on the lower level than the one she was driving at. She looked at him very closely because his runner looked like he just lost a duel; with steam still coming out of his front side. Even his face wasn’t looking satisfied at all. _“He was probably duelling someone”_ , she thought at first. “Oh, hammers! I don’t know whether I hate him or just feel sorry for that guy. Wonder who was facing him; he must be a great duellist if he won against grandpa Ushio”, she smiled looking into the Moon. While she was stargazing completely forgetting about her presence when Ushio heard some noises from the engine and looked up.

“Hey, you!” The officer shouted.

“Hello there, gramps”, she gave him a wink keeping a smile on her face.

“Oh, it’s just you, Baby...” He sighed in relief being happy he doesn’t have to duel anyone right now.

“And who do you think it was at this hour?” She giggled.

“It’s late, Baby! You should go home before I arrest you and that runner of yours”, he was threatening her even though he didn’t want to. It’s not like you see a girl D-Wheeler every day, especially not one as good as she was. She could escape from his sight in a second and he didn’t even know how she was doing that.

“Say, officer”, she teased from the above, “Could it be that you lost in a duel?”

“That’s it, Baby! I’m coming for ya!”

“Sure thing, officer”, she was giggling knowing how officer won’t move from that spot for a while. She also knew it was just because she was a 16-year old girl, who looked like she needs a protection, so after some time, she realised how his need to protect her was stronger than that of arresting her and hurting her in any way. Officer Ushio even helped her escape once, when she was caught taking some spare parts from the Scrapyard.

“Don’t tell me you were on that scrap yard again”, he started worrying about her.

“Good guess, officer”, she revved her runner, “One more and you’ll get a bonus from me”.

“And what is it you want to know?”

“Who was the guy you were duelling with?” She stopped for a second, “Or was it a girl?”

“It was just some Satellite scum on a red D-wheel”, Ushio gave up.

“So that’s who I saw few moments ago...” She placed one finger on her chin and looked at the sky.

“Do you have any idea who he might be?”

“Wait a second”, she was confused looking at the officer with a shock on her face, “You duelled a guy and you don’t even know his name?!?”

“I guess I’m the one to blame”, he sighed.

“You should head back, officer”, she turned her runner while holding a break and keeping her foot on the pedal, so she was facing officer with her back now, “Satellite is a very dangerous place”, she looked at him over her shoulder.

“Hey, I’m the one who should be saying that”, he was waving with his fist towards the sky, up to where she was but she already left the spot. “That girl is going to kill me one day”, he looked away remembering how he has to return to the station.

Hanako was trying to move away from the officer just in case he tries something stupid again, “I should probably head back home because Crow should be there by now and making him worry about me is the latest thing I need at the moment", she sighed.

When she arrived home, Crow was already there serving the dinner to the kids. Hanako stepped in with a huge smile on her face, “Hello there, Cutesies!” When children saw her, they immediately moved away from the table and ran to Hanako, who was kneeling on the floor with her arms wide open, so that she can hug as many children she can. Kids started clapping and asking her for presents.

“Hey, there!” Crow was angry, “You can’t ask for gifts every time she comes back home!”

“It’s what you taught them, silly”, she was smiling with a bunch of kids on her.

“Don’t even mention”, Crow sighed still sitting around the table.

“Did you bring something for me?” Asked one little girl.

“And for me”, a boy added.

“And for me to”, added another boy.

“Calm down, guys”, Hanako smiled. “I found some good parts on the Scrapyard! I think I’ll be able to build you your own duel disks so that you can play with cards Crow gave you”, she stood up looking at children’s faces, “In fact, we can all build them together”, she remembered Pearson, so her smile disappeared for a brief moment.

“Yaaay!” All kids shouted happily.

“Now back to your places and eat Crow’s dinner, so that you can grow strong! I need good and healthy hands, if you’re going to help me build Duel Disks”, she placed her hands on her hips and everyone immediately ran to the table continuing with their meals.

“How was it, Baby?” Crow asked.

“It was good, I really found good pieces”, she answered but then remembered one more thing that happened, “Oh, I also met gramps!”

“You mean that old Ushio?”

“Crow, he’s not old”, she scolded him.

“Not old?!? And you keep callin’ him _gramps_ all the time!”

“Because I found it cute”, she explained.

“Fine”, he moved his look away knowing how there’s no use in arguing with her about something because she was very stubborn, “What did he want now?”

“Nothing, I just bumped into him on my way back here”.

“And that’s it”, he raised an eyebrow.

“Well... It looks like he lost a duel”, she explained.

“Really?!?” Crow was surprised.

“Yup! But I don’t know who it was”, she looked down for a second, “It looks like we have a strong duellist here in Satellite. He also has a D-Wheel. Red one”, she said without taking a break.

“Turbo duellist, ha?” Crow escaped from reality as his thoughts dragged him into thinking about Hanako’s words.

“Anyways, I’m starving”, Hanako said dragging Crow away from his thoughts and placing a hand on her belly.

“Oh, sorry”, Crow snapped, “Do you want to have a dinner or something?”

“Aham”, she nodded, “But I’m just going to my room first, I have to change”.

“Sure thing, Baby”, Crow smiled back watching her moving away the curtains from between the walls.

There were no doors on her room and whole place they lived in was just a bunch of cardboards and plastic boards constructed into tiny houses with few windows here and there but everything was mostly opened, cracked or broken. She had only one curtain as a barrier between the room and a place they were spending most of their time and when she went in to change, Crow started telling a bed-time story to the kids. She put pale yellow dungarees on her but with shorts instead of long pants; her favourite lavender shirt that was a bit over-sized, so her shoulder could be seen and she took off her socks and was barefoot. She loved walking without socks or slippers what made Crow go crazy just by looking at her. When children fell asleep, Hanako came out of her room and sat around the table with just Crow keeping her company. Crow placed a plate in front of Hanako.

“I made a vegetable stew just for you", he winked and started laughing when he realised words in his sentence rhymed. That fact made Hanako laugh, too.

"You're the best", she clapped with her hands, "Is everyone sleeping already?"

"Yep, as tight as your screws", he laughed at the joke but she wasn’t smiling anymore, so Crow started worrying about her, “Baby, is something wrong?”

“I was just thinking...”

“About Pearson?”

“No... About Yusei...”

“What about him?”

“I found this in my treasure box few days ago”, she reached for a flower from her pocket.

“Oh, you mean that old rusty box that you were keeping your toys in?”

“Yeah, that one”, she nodded looking at the miniature scrap-iron flower statue. Her hands were on the table and the flower statue was placed between the palms of her hands.

“It was a birthday gift from him if I recall right”, he started.

“Yes, it was. He made it for me when we finished building his first runner. It was more of a _thank you_ gift than _birthday_ present”, she smiled at the thought of it.

“I thought you’d be thinking about him here and there”, Crow moved his smile away.

“It’s not just sometimes, Crow”, she kept looking into the flower, “I think about it all the time. Every time I’m working on Blackbird, he’s on my mind”, she said in the end making Crow think how it’s better for her to think about Yusei than about Pearson.

“So now it’s Blackbird’s fault?” He teased her with a smile.

“Hey”, she reacted, “You know what I meant!”

Crow was silent at first but then gathered the strength to ask her something that was bothering him for a while now, “Say, Baby...” She looked at him, so he continued after getting her full attention, “How did it even end up between you two?”

‘’What do you mean?’’

‘’Yusei and you… Why you stopped seeing each other?’’

‘’Seeing each other? It sounds as we were a couple’’, she blushed.

‘’Ah, you know what I mean”, he smiled.

“Sure”, she returned the smile, “Now when I think about it, it all started when Jack left the Satellite 2 years ago’’.

“What does Jack had to do with it all?”

"I think it's better if I tell you the whole story, so that you can understand it better", she took a deep breath still holding onto that scrap-iron flower.

"You see, when Pearson died and Kiryu ended up in jail, I completely lost my will to live and to fight. This whole city was nothing but a Hell for me and I was struggling with staying alive. I’m sorry I have to say it this way, but not even these kids or you could make me feel better and I knew it was all just because I was depressed and my mind was still naive and immature but one day, when Team Satisfaction split up, I bumped into Yusei when I was visiting the Scrapyard, so we sat there and talked all night. When we figured out the Sun is coming out, we decided it’s best we head back to our places but he invited me to check his Hideout and meet his new friends. Other night came and I did what he asked me... Running though the Satellite as fast as I could, I came to the West Subway and met his friends Blitz, Nerve, Taka and Rally. They were really great but sometimes I found it hard to get along with them... Rally and Nerve were easier to keep up with, so I talked with them more than with the other two. And then... The first thing I saw was his runner! It wasn’t completed; it was just a core without any body or duel system. The engine was good but he had a lot of work on it, so I jumped in to help him. He never actually asked me to, but I wanted to be there for him!” Hanako said thrilled on the thought of building a runner, “You yourself know how much I get obsessed with it”, here Crow just smiled, so she continued with her story, “Anyways, I kept coming there every single day. We were upgrading the engine, I was collecting spare parts from the Scrapyard, we’ve put a mask on it, made a programme, which was more Yusei’s doing than mine and we brought his first hybrid to life”. Her hands started shaking, “We were doing everything together: tightening the screws, testing the engine, building and re-building, destroying, replacing some parts, changing some materials, testing acceleration chip, making a hologram system to work... I think you get the point there”, she took a deep breath again.

“So what happened?” Crow was getting curious.

“We kept on seeing each other every single day. We could sit there in silence without saying a word and yet we talked... It was like we could read each other’s mind and know exactly what the other one is thinking... I never felt that with anyone until I started coming to Yusei’s place...”

“Not even with Pearson?” Crow asked but then bit his tongue in fear he crossed the line, so he looked at her. She was silent and her eyes were sparkling, as tears started gathering there making her eyes sparkle like sapphire stones.

“This was just different somehow”; she let a tear down her face, “The power to speak with each other without saying a word was really a blessing at that time; and he even taught me how to play duel monsters”, she smiled with tears still strolling down her face.

“But you knew how to duel long before that”, Crow shouted.

“I did but I was never good enough, so I asked Yusei to show me some strategies and combos”, she explained.

“But you had me for that!”

“I know but...” She stopped for a while, “Another part of me wanted that person to be him...”

“Why did you even get the need to learn something you already know?”

“It was because I met few guys that week. I was walking back home when I saw them having problems with their duel disks, so I approached them and checked their disks. I managed to repair them and they were shocked how a girl can do so much but I just turned around and started walking home when a card fell from my pocket. Here they asked me if I was a duellist and started making fun of me because of that explaining to me how a duel is not made for a girl. Just in a split second, they forgot about how I helped them and all that mattered was trying to humiliate me because of that one card on the floor...”

“Why you never told me about it?”

“You know why, Crow”, she scolded him, “You were taking care for these kids, stealing from Security and had so much on your mind... Having me trying to learn how to duel would be just another thing to worry about”, she shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter, Baby! You know I’ll always be there for you!”

“I know, Crow... But it really doesn’t matter anymore because it’s all over between me and Yusei”, she said calmly continuing with her story, “When I explained this to Yusei, he said how he has nothing to teach me...”

_“Please, Yusei! I really want to learn”, Hanako was jumping in place clapping her hands without taking a break._

_“But you already know everything you have to know”, he turned his head away trying to finish with the programme for his runner._

_“I know but...” Hanako stopped while her face was covered in sadness, “_ _You know, Yusei… If you don’t feel like it or you’re not interested, you could’ve just said so!” Her words made him look at her saddened face._

_“I didn’t say I don’t want to. I just think that I can’t help you improve because I’m not much better than you…”_

_“But you can help me with my tactics and we can duel here and there to see who’s better”, she was persistent while Yusei was analysing the look on her face._

_“Alright”, he realised there’s no use in arguing with her, so he gave up when one thing crossed his mind, “Since you helped me with my runner, I guess I can return the favour”, he smiled._

_“Really?!?” She started jumping around out of sheer happiness before she ran into his arms to hug him tight. She never realised how the reason behind his decision was his need to be close to her and not her asking him to do so, “Thank you, Yusei!” She couldn’t hide a smile from her face and that managed to bring a smile on Yusei’s face._

“So time was passing by and our relationship grew even stronger”, Hanako placed the flower on the table reaching for the stew because she was very hungry.

“So where’s Jack in this story?” Crow was confused.

“Jack took Yusei’s runner and his Stardust Dragon two years ago and escaped to Neo Domino City... It was the runner we built, the only thing that was bonding us together. After that runner was gone, I had no reason to go there; or at least I thought so but one day I was missing his company more than ever, so I decided to pay him a visit. He wasn't there but as I approached the others I heard their conversation..." She took a spoon and placed it into her stew.

“What were they talking about?”

“That’s the part where I got disappointed in him”, Hanako moved her head away from Crow.

“Disappointed? In Yusei?!?” Hanako nodded, “Baby, don’t scare me like that! What were they talking about?”

“It was that stupid Taka! He always had the biggest mouth of them all!” She angrily kicked a potato from her stew with a spoon.

_“Have you seen Yusei lately?” Taka was sitting on his chair in their Hideout with Blitz and Nerve._

_“He’s here all the time, you idiot!” Blitz answered, as he was irritated by Taka’s stupid question._

_“I know but he’s been acting strange ever since Jack left...”_

_“Because Jack stole both his runner and his ace monster” Blitz tried to explain it to Taka._

_“I thought it had something to do with Hanako...” Taka was confused._

_“What do you mean?” Nerve was confused listening to their conversation. He was always the first to react when Hanako was the main subject of a conversation._

_“Well... She stopped coming ever since that happened”, Taka was looking to the ceiling thinking about what he said._

_“Oh, yeah! I noticed that, too”, Blitzed agreed._

_“I wonder what happened to her...” Nerve said, as their conversation made him think about it now._

_“Isn’t it obvious?” Taka jumped, “It’s because Yusei doesn’t need her anymore”._

_“What do you mean?”, Nerve was getting angry when Blitz took Taka’s side and jumped into their conversation._

_“Well... The truth is she was just his apprentice and was here to help him build that thing. Without that runner, she’s completely useful to him...”_

_“Yeah!” Taka agreed, “And remember how Yusei said he never actually needed her help!”_

_Hearing those words, Hanako’s eyes filled with tears and soon they started running down her face. Sobbing like a child, she placed her hand on her mouth and ran away not wanting to see Yusei ever again. She was gone into the black halls of the West Subway crying and cursing the day she trusted Yusei from the bottom of her heart._

“And that’s how it was...” Hanako was mixing the stew with her spoon not taking a sip at all.

“Baby, you know it must have been some kind of a mistake!”

“I know what I heard Crow!”

“But you never heard it from Yusei himself! It must have been some kind of misunderstanding because this doesn’t sound like Yusei at all...”

“So now you’re on his side?”

“I’m not on anyone’s side. I’m just trying to be realistic”, Crow placed a hand on his chest.

“Then get realistic and deal with it! It’s just how Yusei is... He used me to build that runner and then Jack took it so serves him right!”

“Baby you don’t understand, do you?”

“No, Crow... You’re the one who doesn’t understand!”

“No, Baby! You’re wrong!”

“I’m not! He used me like I was some kind of a tool and he -!”

“He was here to see you, Baby...” Crow interrupted Hanako’s sentence.

“He did what?” Hanako started shaking.

“He was looking for you few days after you stopped coming there...”

“And why didn’t you tell me?” She was shocked not knowing what to say or think about it.

“Because I didn’t know either”, he said.

“But how did you...?”

“Kids told me few days ago”.

“The kids?” Her eyes widened.

“Yeah... They figured out something’s not right with you in the last couple of months, so they asked me what’s wrong. I explained to them how you must miss your old friends and they immediately knew what was going on. They told me how Yusei was coming here to see you but you were never around...”

“And?” Her voice was trembling while her heart was searching for explanation that would change the situation between Yusei and her.

“Nothing... They told him you’re not here at the moment, so he just turned around and left”, Crow looked at Hanako, “He came again few times explaining to kids how he’s making a surprise for you, so they have to keep it a secret...”

“So that’s how he managed to keep their mouth shut!”

“Yeah... They told me it happened three or four times but when he realised you’re not coming back, I guess he just gave up, which is nothing like him... So I don’t know what actually happened. To me it looks like you misinterpreted their words when you were there”, Crow shrugged.

“Could be... Because I do remember I never heard the rest of their conversation”, she looked into the ceiling trying to remember what happened after she ran away.

_“Taka, you idiot! Don’t turn his words like that!” Nerve jumped on taka’s words afraid someone might actually hear them. He never wanted for Yusei to hear this stupid idea Taka just said because he knew it wasn’t true. Yusei would never say something like that! “He said it was her own will she wanted to help even though he never asked her to do so, because he didn’t feel like he needs anyone’s help. You know Yusei thinks he can do anything on his own! If he let her be by his side to help, it means he cared!”_

_“ Oooh”, Taka’s mind just realised that this could possibly be true, “You know what? Maybe we should apologize to her when we see her”, he concluded in the end._

_“Well... Go figure!” Nerve was angrily tapping the floor with his shoe._

_“You know guys... Even though she always looked to me like his apprentice and a puppy, she is kinda cute kid”, Blitz finally said and his words made Nerve blush a little._

“I know I bumped into Rally on my way out but I was so stressed with what I heard that I never said anything to him. I just remember the sadness in his eyes when he saw me there crying and sobbing... Trying to run away as far as I could...”

“See?” Crow smiled to her and she planted a kiss on his cheek.

“You know what, Crow?” She giggled after seeing his face blushing, “You’re the best! I think I’m going to find him and talk to him about it! Maybe it really was just a misunderstanding!” She left the table, took her helmet and ran out of the house.

“But it’s the middle of the night!” Crow shouted trying to catch her.

“This can’t wait, Crow! Sorry!” She slipped on her way to her runner but somehow managed to maintain her balance. Crow was looking at her trying to find a word to scold her but nothing crossed his mind.

“And you haven’t finished with your dinner!” He shouted.

“I’ll be back soon, don’t worry!”

“But...” He watched her revving the engine and driving away, “I made it just for you...” He was checking the table from the front door where he was standing. Sadness was holding onto his face but Hanako was already far away from home in search for Yusei.

“I’m sorry, Yusei! If I got it all wrong right from the start, I hope you can forgive me”, she was speeding through Satellite trying to reach the West Subway where Yusei used to live with his friends, “Please be there when I arrive...”


	4. Signers of the Crimson Dragon

3rd Chapter

(following anime episodes 27 and 28)

**Signers of the Crimson Dragon**

“Yusei! Yusei! Yusei! Yusei!” The crowd was getting wild and everyone in the tournament ring was shouting Yusei’s name. He was standing still in the middle of the arena looking at his surroundings. The future he was chasing is now a history! He managed to escape through pipes to Neo Domino City and he met Jack, just as he planned. Yusei ended up in a Facility and now being marked with a criminal mark on his face as a refugee from Satellite, he won the Fortune Cup and was recognised as the Duel King. After escaping the prison, he met new friends, who helped him on his journey. Old man Yanagi and a former professional duellist Jin Himuro; they were hanging out with Yusei in the Facility and were now freed, so they could watch Yusei’s back when trouble jumps in. Grandpa Yanagi, cheerful, kind and selfless old man who travelled a lot and knows almost everything about history, past and ancient times never leaves Yusei’s side while Himuro serves more as a guardian and protector due to his muscular body and strong appearance. Yusei was more than happy to have them by his side just like the twins he met, Rua and Ruka. They were around eleven years old, had turquoise hair and while Ruka was silent, calm and rather shy, her brother Rua was quite the opposite; talkative, loud and full of himself with a huge smile on his face. Rua also had a dream of becoming the King of Duels in the future, so he loved Yusei not just because of his personality but because of his skills and his talent as a duellist. Yusei was worried because of the things that are about to happen... He saw doctors that were taking care of Jack, as he was hurt and unconscious, so Yusei walked to him worried about his life. During their duel, they were transferred into another dimension where Yusei saw the destruction of Satellite and the pain Jack and he felt during taking damage was real, so when Jack lost, there’s no mistaking that he took a great amount of damage and almost died in the process. Even though Yusei never wanted to continue with it not to put Jack into danger, it was Jack’s own will to continue with the duel and finish things off... It was the pride as a King that resides within him that almost killed him.

“Jack”, Yusei whispered while looking at doctors taking Jack away from the arena, “What we both saw...” his thoughts were speeding away, as someone shouted from the crowd.

“You Satellite punk! What kinda dirty tricks did you use?!?”

“Damned marked punk!” Shouted someone else when Yusei turned around to see where the voice is coming from. He couldn’t do a thing but to just stand and listen to what people have to say. He never imagined a circus will be born out of his idea to earn his card back and now that Stardust Dragon is in his deck, he’s fulfilled his first task leaving only one more score to settle: Hanako.

“I won’t stand for a King born out of Satellite!” Crowd wasn’t very pleased with Yusei being the King but soon Rua shouted Yusei’s name, so Yusei turned to the direction of his voice.

“Rua”, he called back seeing Yanagi, Himuro and Rua running towards him.

“Sonny, let’s get outta here now!” Yanagi claimed pointing to the crowd; it was a group of people with microphones notes and pencils: a press. Journalists prepared to take an interview from the new King.

“Fudo Yusei! The King! Let us get an interview!” They were shouting trying to break the fence taking pictures of Yusei, who couldn’t move not knowing what to do. Himuro jumped in, took Yusei’s runner and called for Yusei.

“Hurry!”

“Yeah”, Yusei nodded and they all started running away from the wild crowd of journalists.

When they escaped, Himuro showed them a secret passage, “This is a passage that was used back when the Stadium was being constructed”, he explained to the group.

“Huh, I had no idea”, Rua was surprised.

“Because no one ever uses it now”, Himuro added, “Saiga told me about it!” Yusei smiled since Saiga really helped him ever since he came here. Saiga was Himuro’s old friend who had his fingers into everything! He knew a lot of people, could sneak into Satellite without getting caught and had his secret Hideout in Neo Domino City, where he let Yusei sleep and hide while he was outside of Satellite.

“Anyway”, Yanagi jumped in, “You’re something else, Sonny! You actually became King”, he was happy and excited while Rua was even more thrilled about it all.

“I just knew that Yusei could be the King!”

His sister Ruka wasn’t that happy; she looked like she was deep in her thoughts that were making her worry about something.

“You shouldn’t be speaking so easy”, Himuro was serious, “Those guys seem to have kidnapped Yusei’s friends! They could be cooking something up!” Yusei remembered how Godwin kidnapped his friends Taka, Blitz, Rally and Nerve just to blackmail him and make him be a part of the Fortune Cup. Fortune Cup was organised by Godwin himself but Yusei still couldn’t figure out why. Godwin was the director of Sector Security; a tall and pale male with long white hair, who always spoke to people in calm voice but Yusei sensed something evil within him; he saw Godwin as untrustworthy and manipulative, so he didn’t actually care about much. If it wasn’t for this tournament, he would’ve never talked to him anyway... A lot has happened in the past three or four days, since he came here. No one knew what is exactly going on and it was still confusing even for Yusei to understand who Signers are and what kind of a Dragon is Crimson Dragon that they saw in their vision during the duel with Jack... His thoughts were interrupted by Himuro’s words, “At any rate, it seems we’re gonna have to lay low at Saiga’s hideout. It’ll be safer if Rua and Ruka stay with us, too”, he turned to Yusei, who was walking just behind him.

“Really?!?” Shouted Rua, “Alright! I got to stay with Yusei again!” He had a huge smile on his face and his words made Yusei smile thinking about how he reminds him of Rally.

“Yusei...” Ruka finally murmured still looking worried, “Yusei, I saw your duel with Jack in all that light”, she finally revealed the reason behind her worried look, “Satellite, it well...” Yusei was surprised and worried at the same time, as he now remembered the vision he had during the duel with Jack about Satellite being destroyed, “What was that?”

“I have no idea”, he was honest, “But if that sight was the future of Satellite, I have to stop it at all costs!”

“What is a Signer exactly?” Ruka was worried and had a lot of questions residing in her mind.

“Ta-da! To discuss that, we turn it over to me!” Yanagi was happy to be asked about something from the past, “Listen, little Ruka...” here Yanagi’s story began while they were on their way to Saiga’s hideout. He was telling them a story about People of the Stars and how Crimson Dragon was a powerful creature, whose parts were separated into five pieces, so five Signers were born to carry on Crimson Dragon’s power. His story lasted all the way until they reached Saiga’s place; there Yanagi took a piece of paper and drew Crimson Dragon mark on it.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this, you know”, he was scribbling something on the paper, “My memory is kinda vague, but it was something like this”, he showed them the sign and Yusei immediately recognised the tail of the dragon.

“That tail!”

“Yusei, what’s wrong?” Rua seemed to be worried about Yusei, who was now showing his right arm to the group. The sign of the tail was engraved into Yusei’s arm and Ruka showed them her arm, too after Rua asked her about her birthmark. Claws of the Crimson Dragon were engraved into her arm representing the Dragon’s hands.

“What does it all mean?” Rua was curious.

“According to the legend that I’ve heard of the People of the Stars, the head, wings, hands, legs and tail of the Crimson Dragon, each of its parts, were all broken up and sealed into people called Signers as Birthmarks”, Yanagi explained.

“Wait. The only Signers we know of so far are Yusei, Jack, Ruka and Aki Izayoi – the four of them. But for that Dragon to show up like that...” Himuro was confused because it takes all five Signers to be together if you want to call forth the Crimson Dragon.

“The fifth one might’ve been somewhere around here”, Yanagi came to a conclusion.

“No Birthmark on me anywhere, I guess?” Rua was happily trying to find a birthmark on his body hoping that he is the chosen one but there were no signs of it while Ruka was looking at the paper with a sketch of Crimson Dragon and just thinking about it made her dizzy and low on energy, so she almost collapsed.

“Whoat there!” Yanagi reacted just in time to catch her.

“Ruka!” Yusei ran to them.

“Ruka, what’s the matter?” Her brother was worried for her, too.

“I’m fine”, Ruka opened her eyes, “I’m just a little tired”.

“It’s no surprise, I suppose”, Himuro added, “Too many things have happened over the past two days, after all!”

Yusei looked at the sign of the Crimson Dragon, “Maybe we should all take some rest. We will think about it all tomorrow morning, ok?” He smiled looking at Rua and Ruka and when the night came, Yusei made sure everyone is sleeping when his mark started pulling him closer to the window. When he looked outside, he saw a man with a birthmark of the spider standing in front of Saiga’s hideout. His mark was glowing while Yusei’s was throbbing, making him sweat and groan because of the pain he felt, so he started chasing the man disappearing on his way out.

* * *

Himuro woke up early in the morning noticing Yusei’s gone, so he was wondering where he could be at this hour when Yusei showed up entering the room, “Hey, where’ve you been ‘till now, so early in the morning?”

“I had a duel with a guy with a birthmark on his arm”, Yusei said.

“What?!? The fifth Signer?” Himuro jumped out of his chair.

“No”, Yusei was calm, “He called himself a Dark Signer”.

“Dark Signer?” Himuro was confused.

“That birthmark...” Yusei murmured, “Perhaps they’re the enemies we are truly supposed to fight!”

“Who knows!” Himuro shrugged, “Crazy things happened ever since I met you!” Himuro’s words made Yusei smile for a second.

“I think I should just check it while I’m here”, he said approaching the table. He tried connecting to the internet and started searching for any information he could find there, “I’m worried that Saiga still hasn’t contacted us”. He spent more than two hours researching, so Himuro made him a cup of coffee and placed it on the table.

“Here, drink this!”

“Thank you!”

“Sonny, ya’ still can’t get in contact with Saiga?” Yanagi was worried because he knew Yusei was thinking about his friends from Satellite and not knowing what happened to them made him even more spaced out.

“I’m thinking of heading back to Satellite. What that guy said is starting to worry me”, Yusei stood up looking at Yanagi.

“Huh? Going back?” Yanagi asked.

“Is it about the whole thing about Satellite being annihilated?” Himuro was interested in Yusei’s actions.

“It is but...”

“But?” Himuro raised an eyebrow but Yusei remained silent.

“You’re going?” Ruka asked Yusei with a sad face while her brother was holding her up helping her stand, since she was very weak, “You’re going back to Satellite, Yusei?”

“Yusei...” Rua said afterwards. Yusei looked at them remembering his friends and her, the only friend who could understand him from the core of his soul and yet the only one who he managed to let down. Since he gained his Stardust back, there was this one thing he promised to himself; to come back to Satellite and find her just to make things clear between them. He somehow felt he has to apologise to her for something even though he didn’t know why.

“There’s something that I have to make sure is true”, he said.

“You can’t! Isn’t Satellite a really dangerous place?” Rua wasn’t happy with Yusei’s idea of going back, “Don’t go back there. Just stay with us in the city!”

“Wasn’t it you who said that Signers should stay together, Yusei?” Rua added trying to stop Yusei from going back to Satellite.

Yusei approached them, kneeling in front of the twins to catch their eye, “Like you, Rua, I also have a girl I have to take care for”, he smiled, “Besides, Signers are always bound to meet again”, he said.

“Yusei...” Ruka murmured.

“Do you have a sister, too?” Rua said happily thinking about how he is so similar to Yusei which wasn’t true. It was just his childish mind that wanted to believe that.

“I don’t but she was like a sister to me...”

“Was?” Rua and Ruka were confused.

“That’s why I have to go”, Yusei just said when he heard police sirens coming from the street, so he ran to the window and opened it.

“Can you hear me, you Satellite scumbag? The city is no safe refuge for you!” Officer Ushio was standing in front of Saiga’s place with a loudspeaker in his hand, “I’m gonna haul your ass in this very second, so you better get good and ready!”

“Tch, talk about bad timing”, Himuro murmured angrily looking through the window.

“Just the opposite”, Yusei added looking at Ushio. He came with a plan, so he went downstairs and turned himself in approaching Ushio, “I need to speak to Godwin anyway”, he said with a serious look on his face.

“What was that? You Satellite scumbag...?” Ushio wasn’t really happy. He raised his hand to catch Yusei but Yusei managed to grab his wrist turning it away and holding it tight.

“You’re going to take me to him”, he ordered, pushing Ushio’s hand away and going into the police car that was placed in front of the entrance to Saiga’s place.

“You punk!” Ushio shouted but he had no choice but to do what Yusei said, “This is the end of all your bluffs!” He ran to Yusei trying to catch him but Yusei was already sitting in a car with the door closed. Ushio placed his hands on the door, “I’m gonna teach you a decent thing or two!”

“Just hurry up”, Yusei said looking at Ushio through the window. He knew his time was running out and he had to make sure that his friends are alright and that Hanako’s alive.

Rua, Ruka, Yanagi and Himuro were watching closely to what’s going on.

“Hey, do you think he has a girlfriend?” Rua said all excited.

“Rua!” Ruka scolded him, “He said she was like a sister to him!”

“But that doesn’t mean...”

“Just get a hold of yourself already”, Ruka sighed.

“You know he sure is quite a catch”, Yanagi said, “To be so calm, brave, cool, caring and selfless... It would be a miracle if he was still single!”

“I can’t believe what you’re all arguing about”, Himuro said closing the window, “C’mon! We have a lot of work to do...”

“She must be very special”, Rua murmured still trapped in that conversation about the mysterious girl Yusei was going to visit, “I wonder if she’s beautiful”, he blushed.

“Rua!!!” Ruka shouted again not believing in what her brother is thinking about.

“What?!?”

“Nothing...” she murmured again trying to find a place she can rest.

“I don’t know about you, guys but...” Yanagi began, so everyone turned their eyes on him waiting for him to continue with the story, “She must be very precious to him if he’s willing to risk his life and go back to Satellite just to see her...”

Rua and Ruka just nodded while Himuro found something else to say, “Let’s just hope for the best!”

* * *

Meanwhile, Yusei was placed in Sector Security building, waiting in a room for Godwin to see him when the door opened.

“When’s Godwin coming?” He started being impatient because he felt like his time is running out.

“Don’t be hasty”, Ushio said showing up in front of Yusei with two more policemen watching his back, “The director has his hands tied. If you’re that bored, why don’t I teach you a lesson with a duel until the director arrives? After all, if I defeat you, you Satellite scumbag, the title of King will be mine!” Ushio was hyped about defeating Yusei but his intentions were soon thrown away when he heard squeaky and evil smile from behind.

“I’m afraid that will not do”, a little clown-like figure showed in front of Ushio, “Though I do not believe the new King would lose to the likes of you”, it was Yeager; a top-ranking henchman to Rex Godwin as well as vice-director of Sector Security. He was very short with his lips red and two dark violet stripes crossing his eyes from his forehead to the middle of his chins. He had green eyes and lavender hair colour. “Sorry to keep you waiting”, he said to Yusei while standing in front of Ushio, “The director has sent for you!”

Yusei just nodded to his statement when Yeager turned to Ushio, “Would you be so kind as to escort Jack out of the hospital? It would seem that he would like to have a word with Jack as well”, his words were given to Ushio while he himself was smiling and looking at Yusei not even trying to hide Godwin’s evil intentions.

“Understood, sir!” Shouted Ushio while Yusei just passed by him. He was a bit distracted by Yusei but soon just sighed and left for the hospital where Jack was resting. Jack was getting better but his life wasn’t endangered and as the days passed by, he seemed to be better but Yusei had some other things on his mind.

Yeager escorted Yusei to where Godwin was waiting for him and when Godwin came out of his car, he started with a greeting, “Yusei, it’s time I told you the truth!” Godwin was the director of Sector Security. He was tall and pale man with long white hair and was always talking to people with calm voice.

“Truth?” Yusei was curious but Godwin just pointed to the old bridge that was supposed to connect Satellite with Neo Domino City but was destroyed.

“Allow me to ask you one thing”, Godwin continued, “Yusei, why do you ride a D-Wheel?

“I don’t need to answer you!”

“The bridge was supposed to connect Satellite with the city”, Godwin just smiled to Yusei’s answer and continued with his story, “You built a D-Wheel with your own hands and crossed the sea. I sense that your fate is strong. Perhaps, one day, you will be the one who will connect this bridge”.

“With your influence, you should be able to connect it”, Yusei answered not satisfied with what Godwin said.

“That I cannot do”.

“Why not?”

“For I would be connecting the disaster in Satellite to the city”.

“Disaster in Satellite?” Yusei was confused.

“It’s time I tell you the truth...”

“The truth you’re referring to...” Yusei pushed his glove down and his sleeve up, revealing the Birthmark of the Crimson Dragon to Godwin, “...is this?”

“Yes, the five-thousand year old legend of the Crimson Dragon”, Godwin said.

“And you expect me to believe in something that occult?”

“An unbelievable and mysterious fate has been lying in this world. Yusei, you have met with one, have you not? A duellist with unknown powers - a Dark Signer?”

“You know about Dark Signers? About that man with the spider-shaped birthmark?!?”

“They are the arch-nemesis’ of the Signers. Those who have revived after five-thousand years and possess the soul of the underworld. When the doors of the underworld open, the battle between Signers and Dark Signers for the world will begin!”

“For the world?”

“Over a cycle of five-thousand years since the surface came to being, the Signers and Dark Signers have repeated their same battle. And in that battle five-thousand years ago, the People of the Stars, under the Crimson Dragon, borrowed the powers of those five dragons, its servants, to seal the wickedness away in the Nazca Lines, and then lock the doors of the underworld”, Godwin was telling the story of what happened a long time ago, “Afterwards, the Crimson Dragon was split into five parts and sealed in the human world”, he ended while Yusei was looking at his birthmark.

“This is the seal and furthermore... What showed up on that Dark Signer’s arm were Nazca lines. But why? Why is that now the battle between the Signers and Dark Signers is starting again?!?”

“You are familiar with Momentum, which lies beneath the Kaiba Corporation, yes?” Godwin looked at Yusei, “It is a surreal perpetual engine which continues to create positive energy. But even before it came into being, the very first Momentum existed in the deepest depths of Satellite. Seventeen years ago, the Momentum Investigation and Development Section (MIDS) activated the first Momentum, despite its control system being imperfect. Because they put the interest of the city first and then...” He stopped for a second, “Tragedy struck! Momentum, which was supposed to have a positive rotation, began a negative rotation and within that same instant, a tremendous energy had been emitted in Nazca. The amount of that energy was nearly identical to the energy that Momentum had released. When the Dark Signers appear, the doors of the underworld are sure to open and the old Momentum has started to become a door of the underworld!”

“So you want me to help you stop them?”

“To close the doors of the underworld, we must defeat the gatekeepers, the Dark Signers, yes! To do so, I held the Fortune Cup and awakened the Signers’ powers...”

“So you toyed with us? This all Fortune Cup thing was to gather us all in one place?”

“If you put it that way, it really sounds like I’m the negative guy here”, Godwin shrugged.

“Suppose we lose the battle with the Dark Signers...” Yusei started but Godwin finished his words.

“The world will change! Into a world that follows the laws of the underworld – one which we all refer to as Hell!” Godwin’s words made Yusei remember his vision of destruction of Satellite.

“If that battle is going to be waged in Satellite, then you have to evacuate the citizens right away!”

“I cannot. If the people of Satellite are no longer there, they will seek new victims and make the city the setting for their battle instead, which will drag even more people into the situation...”

“Damn you!” Yusei’s anger grew stronger, “And you built Satellite knowing this? You don’t care if the residents of Satellite get sacrificed?!?” Yusei remembered his friends and Hanako, all those memories of them having fun, struggling to survive but being together... And it didn’t matter if they were from Satellite or not, all of them were human beings with the same opportunity to live their lives as normal and decent people just like the ones from Neo Domino City but Godwin obviously didn’t share the same idea.

“Do you want to save Satellite, Yusei?” Godwin pointed at the old Daedalus Bridge that was supposed to connect the city with Satellite, “Then stop the Dark Signers! With your combined powers!”

“Our powers?” Godwin was silent to Yusei’s words, “Wait! You said there were five Signers! That makes us short one!”

“The one will appear eventually. I’m sure of it”, Godwin looked at Satellite while a helicopter started rising in front of him, “It’s destiny!” Helicopter opened its gate revealing Yusei’s runner parked inside. Yusei got ready to board the helicopter when Godwin remembered something he has to say, “Oh, Yusei! Just one more thing before you leave...”

“What do you want?”

“I heard you’re looking for that little girl of yours”, Godwin smiled.

“Hanako... Wait, how do you know about her?”

“I have my ways... Even though that little mouse managed to hide away even from me! Well, at least up until few days ago” Godwin was standing still with his hands crossed behind his back.

“If something happens to her, I swear you’ll pay!”

“Relax, Yusei...” Godwin smiled, “I just wanted to tell you that she’s alive and is probably looking for you there somewhere!” His eyes were pointing at Satellite.

“I don’t need you to tell me that!”

“I know, I just thought you needed a little boost to inspire you...”

“With the boost you have, it would only slow me down but I appreciate your concern”, Yusei said calmly getting ready to leave the city and go to Satellite. He was travelling in the helicopter for a short time and soon the gate started opening again. He revved his runner, turned off standby mode and jumped from the helicopter to Satellite when he made sure it’s safe to depart from this height.

He was nervous at the thought that he’ll see his friends again but Hanako occupied more than half of his thoughts now that she was confirmed to be alive and residing in Satellite. Even though he thought how she could be dead, the deepest parts of him knew she was still alive and now that Godwin confirmed this, Yusei was finally ready to find her and settle the scores with her.

“I just hope what Godwin said is true...” Yusei sighed when he arrived in front of the pile of scraps in Satellite looking up just to see a familiar face with a runner smiling to him from the above...


	5. Crossing Your Path

4th Chapter

(following anime episode 29)

**Crossing Your Path**

Hanako was speeding through Satellite searching for Yusei or at least any sign of his presence around. She intended to visit his Hideout but she thought she might find some familiar faces here in the centre of the town because his guys used to cross these streets a lot in the past and even though she knew it was almost two years ago, she somehow felt like she has to be here for an unknown reason. Jim's Bar was full of people, they were all men standing, sitting or laying on the street; some of them were drunk, some drugged... They looked like they completely lost their will to live while Satellite itself didn't look better either. It was like people were just a reflection of the city itself. “I don't get it... Satellite has so much to offer and look at this", she was sad with tears gathering in her eyes making them glow. She couldn't believe how someone can use people from here to work and gather scraps but not let them go to Neo Domino City and use their full potential. She was trying not to bother with people around her but she couldn't foresee it. Their energy was too hard to bear for Hanako’s own spirit. While she was trying not to feel or suck in their emotions, she almost crashed into a weird and tall guy, so she turned left on the next corner to avoid any dangerous situation. She was now hiding behind the wall with her runner next to her. Guy she almost hit was wearing a hooded cape with a strange geoglyph sign engraved.

"Theses creepies again", she murmured looking at them from the corner.

"Hope", shouted a man, who was hiding behind a hooded cape, "Hope in the land of Satellite!" He shouted but he wasn't alone. Another guy came with him; they were standing in the centre of the street, surrounded by drunken males but their presence drew attention not only from them but from everyone who was near at the moment. Hanako was watching them from the corner of a minor street, where she parked her runner. She was listening to what those creepy guys have to say.

"The Crimson Dragon that came forth in Neo Domino City is a wicked god who brings forth disaster to this world. Should the city and Satellite be destined to tremble at the rage of the Wicked God and both perish from this world?"

"What is he blabbering about?" Hanako started wondering what this Crimson Dragon they are talking about is and just what is going on in the city.

"No! The Crimson Dragon has chosen the city, the land of fools!" Said the first guy in the end before another one jumped in.

"Oh wise people of Satellite! Embrace hope!"

"What hope, you idiot? Can't you see what Satellite looks like?" Hanako rolled her eyes whispering to herself.

"Those who have gathered around us shall definitely be saved from this curse!" Said one of them again and Hanako saw a ray of light in the sky.

"What is that thing?" She thought when she saw a silk-like strings coming from the sky down towards the people of Satellite.

"Hope..." Murmured one drunken man from the group of people after all of them gathered around those two creepy guys.

"Hope..." their voices were spreading through the city like an echo.

"It looks like these creepies are brainwashing them somehow", she whispered thinking about how those rays from the above had to do something with people's strange behaviour.

"The hope in Satellite!" Shouted the group of men with one voice.

"Yep... Definitely brainwashed", Hanako giggled. For some reason, she found this group of drugged and drunken males funny and cute regardless knowing how she should be worried instead.

"Crimson Dragon, be gone!" People shouted again, "Be gone!"

Hanako was closely watching what is going on waiting for something bigger to happen when she heard a familiar voice that drew her attention, "Quit this!" When she looked at the way the voice was coming from, she saw Rally and Blitz.

"Rally?" She whispered to herself. He was with Blitz, holding paper bags with groceries, so Hanako assumed they were heading back home, "What is he doing here?"

"What are you all basing this stuff you're saying about the Crimson Dragon's curse, or whatnot, off of?" Rally was angry, holding his paper bags full of food while Blitz was just silently listening to what he has to say. When he realised Rally is ready to stand up against the whole group, he tried to stop him.

"Hey, Rally!"

“He hasn’t changed at all”, Hanako thought with a smile on her face.

"You all don't know?" Rally completely ignored Blitz's warning, "Yusei became King! A Duel King's been born out of one of us from Satellite!"

“Yusei..." Hanako froze in place at the thought of him, "He became the Duel King...?” Her body started to shiver and her eyes widened in surprise and shock realising how he must be in Neo Domino City by now if he duelled Jack and won the tournament... There's no other way for him to become the new King, if it wasn't that way. She saddened her face at the thought of Yusei being outside of Satellite, “I'll never find him if what Rally said is true...”

Group of people started looking at each other confused, trying to process Rally's words and it looked like his words reached them and they will snap out of being brainwashed. They started murmuring between themselves about what they heard but Rally couldn't stop at that.

“And that Crimson Dragon showed up during Yusei's duel; to boot! I'm sure it brings good luc-“, Rally's lips were sealed by Blitz's hand.

“Quit it, you dummy!”

“What are you doing, Blitz?” Rally was angry at him because he wanted to change people's minds but they started calling for the Crimson Dragon while walking towards Rally and Blitz like a bunch of zombies.

“Crimson Dragon?”

“He called for the Crimson Dragon?”

Group of guys kept approaching Rally and Blitz slowly tapping with their feet, so Rally and Blitz tried to turn around and escape, “The heck?” Rally was shocked.

“Don't get involved! Let's go!” Blitz advised and took Rally with him, so they started running away.

“But it's the truth! If you all think I'm lying, then check it out for yourselves!” Rally shouted while Blitz was dragging him away. Hanako wanted to check whether Rally's words were true, so she knew she has only one way to find it out. She revved her engine and started following them to see where they will go but she wasn't the only one involved into this situation.

A mysterious man, dressed in a white shirt with green vest and brown trousers was hidden across the street. He was somewhere around late 20s or early 30s with a cowboy hat on his head. He was hiding his face behind it listening and watching everything that happened but he soon disappeared.

Blitz and Rally soon reached their hideout while Hanako was in shadows right behind them. When they reached the entrance to the West Subway, Hanako turned off her engine and started pulling her runner so that the sound of runner won't echo through the subway halls because she knew how silent and empty it was there. When she came to the Hideout shortly after Rally and Blitz entered, she sneaked behind a cardboard, hiding her runner and herself from others. She couldn't see what's happening but she could clearly hear what they were talking about.

“This is ridiculous!” Rally shouted, “What the heck is this all 'alleged king' stuff?!?”

Taka's voice added, “Jack's LP reduced to 0 alright, there's no mistake that Yusei won that!”

“I swear, who's the jerk who wrote up this rotten article?” Hanako heard Nerve's voice.

“So they are all here”, she thought still listening to their conversation. She was concentrating on their words murmuring to herself, “So Yusei really is the new King, huh? I should have known it will turn out like this. Meeting him again is just not supposed to happen…” She bowed her head and was caught into her thoughts no noticing a strange shadow moving around her and all of a sudden someone placed a hand on her mouth, so she couldn't shout for help…

“Every time someone from Satellite tries to make his way up, the folks from the city just keep trashing them away like this”, Blitz added on Nerve's words. Silence showed up in the room they were all sitting at while Rally was still searching through the article he found on the internet.

“I've been looking for you guys!” A deep manly voice was heard from shadows; an unknown voice to all of them, so they jumped out of surprise and slightly backed away.

“Who are you?” Asked Blitz in fear when a strange male figure was coming out of shadows revealing his face but he wasn't alone. When the light from the lamp lightened his face, he explained himself.

“Someone entrusted with a message from your _hope_ ”, a man smiled, “And I also found a little mouse hiding in the shadows”, he grabbed Hanako’s dungarees from behind her neck and placed her in front of him. She was still caught in her thoughts being angry because she’s been found out, so she slipped but somehow managed to keep her balance. A man standing behind her was tall, with a hat on his head. She curled her lips and crossed her hands not satisfied with how this situation turned out.

“Baby?!?” Taka, Blitz, Nerve and Rally shouted in unison.

“Hello there, guys…” She murmured still not happy with the fact that she let her guard down.

A strange and mysterious man said without hiding his surprise, “You know her?”

“Wait a second, me?” She said angrily trying to stand for herself, “You should be the one explaining your identity, mister Cowboy Hat”, she pointed at the tall man.

“I’s OK”, Blitz answered, “She grew up with Yusei and... Jack!” Jack’s name slipped through his lips like it was tearing them apart.

“She's also a friend”, Nerve explained trying to hide excitement because he finally sees Hanako after so much time.

“OK, good to know we don’t have any enemies in here”, man answered, “You can call me Saiga!”

“We?!?” Hanako raised her eyebrow with her hands still crossed. She was surprised how no one is paying attention to this Saiga guy because to her he was the real stranger in this whole story.

“Wait a second, what are you doing here anyway, Baby?” Nerve was curious but was interrupted by Rally.

“Hanako!!!” Rally was the first to react running towards her with his hands wide open while wearing a huge smile on his face. He was still just a child and was always happy to see a friend without questioning the reasons. Hanako kneeled down and opened her arms to him.

“Hello, there, cutesy”, she smiled back hugging him tight.

“I knew you’ll be back one day”, Rally whispered to her ear keeping his head on her shoulder.

"Oh, I get it", Blitz said, "We are going to pretend that nothing has changed in the last two years and we’ll just be best friends again?!"

“Taka!!” Nerve pushed Taka’s hand with his elbow trying to scold him for his words.

“What? She left us two years ago and now...” Taka started but Hanako couldn't hold her words.

“I left you?!?” Hanako reacted on impulse gently pulling Rally aside and approaching Taka to meet his eyes, “It was you who threw me away!” She was pointing to Taka’s chest looking up, as she was too short.

“Ah... About that...” Taka was now ashamed of himself remembering what happened.

“What Taka is trying to say is...” Blitz couldn't speak up and everyone seemed kind of embarrassed now with their cheeks blushing.

“Ah, just cut it already”, said Rally impatiently running to Hanako, “Just tell her!”

“Tell me what?” Hanako was confused.

“We are sorry, Baby...” Nerve finally spoke.

“Sorry for what?” She still looked the same while Saiga was just listening to their conversation.

“You see... We know you heard our conversation two years ago and...” Taka started.

“Rally told us how you ran away in tears, so... We assumed how you were there when we talked about you being absent and all… We shouldn’t have said that because...” Blitz added.

“They said stupid stuff when they try to think with their heads”, Rally smiled trying to make this conversation come faster to a conclusion, “We are all sorry, Baby! Yusei cares for you and he wasn’t the same after you stopped coming... It’s our entire fault”, he saddened his face while Hanako put her hand on his head and patted him, as he was her puppy dog.

“Yeah…” All of them said at the same time with their heads bowed down.

“Don’t bother”, she smiled in relief now knowing how it really was just a misunderstanding. Crow was right when he pointed that out, “It’s me to blame!” Everyone looked at her surprised.

“You mean... You’re not mad?!?” Taka was shocked when he looked at her.

“No. I was just hurt and disappointed in Yusei but it’s me who should have been more persistent. If I was brave enough to face him and clear this misunderstanding with him right from the start, this wouldn’t have happened”, she explained with a smile on her face when she remembered, “But since he’s gone, it doesn’t matter anymore, does it?” Sadness took over her face.

“I wouldn’t bet on that”, Saiga jumped in, so everyone moved their eyes to him.

“What do you mean?” Nerve was the first one to ask.

“Yusei sent me here to check out on you”, he smiled.

“Did he say something about coming back?” Rally was smiling with hope dancing on his face.

“I’m sure he will… It’s just the matter of time!” Saiga nodded.

“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable while we wait?” Blitz asked everyone pointing to the couch.

“Thanks”, Saiag said gratefully.

“But who knows when that time will come…” Hanako was still standing in the same spot with sadness on her face.

“Baby, I’m sure he’ll come back! He said he misses you a lot!” Rally pulled her hand and tried to move her to the couch.

“He did?” She slightly blushed at the thought of it.

“He did?” Blitz and Taka were also surprised.

“Yeah!” Rally jumped, “He said that to me before he left”, he gave Hanako a wink.

“You are not saying this just to make me better, do you?” She found it hard to believe him at first.

“Don’t worry!” Saiga added, “He told me about you, too! That’s why I followed you here”.

“Did he say something?” Hanako asked while her voice was trembling.

“Not much…” Saiga sighed, “When I tried to talk about you, he was always short on words…”

“It was always like that…” Blitz said.

“Yeah… That’s why we thought he doesn’t want you near him”, Taka explained, “Every time we asked something about you, he was cold and never talked freely about it…”

“And we still don’t know why that is so…” Nerve shook his head.

Hanako was standing in front of all of them listening to what they have to say, trying to find a reason for Yusei’s strange behaviour. The person they were telling her about wasn’t the same Yusei she grew up with. The truth is, he never talked much and was silent most part of the day, so he could seem cold at first glance but he had a heart of gold. She knew he’d do anything for his friends and would always try to cheer someone up when they’d be feeling down… Unless he was trying to hide something away but what could it be?

“True…” Blitz’s words drew Hanako’s attention, “When Taka questioned your absence, Yusei told him how it’s your life and you can do with it what you want…”

Hanako wanted to say something but was stopped by Saiga’s sentence.

“Don’t wanna destroy your hope, guys but he had a point there”, he smiled.

“Yeah! We can do what we want!” Nerve’s protest made Hanako giggle.

“I missed you guys so much”, she smiled closing her eyes.

“Hey, Baby! When Yusei comes back, you have to check his new runner!” Rally remembered how he was helping Yusei to escape.

“New runner?” She was confused when she saw the article that was opened; it was an article wrote by one of the journalists, who were at the Fortune Cup finale apparently trying to make an interview with the new King. When she saw Yusei standing next to a red runner, her eyes widened and she ran to the table in disbelief, “You mean this little monster here?” She was pointing at the red runner Yusei’s built.

“Yep!” Rally was happy.

“So he was the one I saw that night last week…” She murmured with tears in her eyes. She couldn’t agree with herself whether she was crying tears of joy and happiness or tears of disappointment wanting to give up on it all.

“You mean… You met him?”

“Depends… Was he duelling a police officer?”

“He was, yes… Just before he left the Satellite”, guys nodded.

“Then yes, I bumped into him…” She bowed her head.

“And…?” Rally was excited to hear the rest of the story.

“Nothing… He was riding on the upper highway with an incredible speed, so I never managed to see who it really was… But this is the runner I saw…” She pointed to the photograph of the D-Wheel that was placed next to Yusei in the article.

“So you mean you passed each other?!?” Rally was disappointed with his jaw wide open but Hanako just nodded what made Taka and Blitz slap their faces with the palms of their hands.

“I guess so”, she nodded while sadness and sorrow slapped her soul like a cold wave in the middle of the storm. She was now even more disappointed and hurt because she missed the only chance she had to meet him again and not knowing when he will be back just made it all worse.

“But it’s OK…” Rally wanted to make it better for her, “He will be home soon…”

“Yeah! And when that happens you can talk to him in private”, Nerve explained. He was looking at her all the time because he really missed her presence, her cheerful spirit and childish soul. His eyes just couldn’t get enough, as his soul was calm and peaceful now that she was standing in this room.

“But who knows when he’ll be back…” Hanako shook her head still trying to get herself together.

“Just be patient, Baby”, Saiga told her now being comfortable enough to call her by her nickname, he supposed, trying to figure out where she got that nickname from while thinking about it.

“How did he escape?” Hanako asked all of a sudden and everyone was shocked by her question that had nothing to do with anything they were talking about so far.

“Through the pipelines”, Blitz said, “He ran a simulation…”

“He was hacking it again?” Hanako’s face was taken by a surprise.

“You know how he is”, Nerve shook his head and shrugged, “He told us how Security Division had weak security after all…”

“Yeah… And how once a month, exactly at midnight, they run interior maintenance, so the pipeline is closed”, Blitz continued, “There are three minutes until its automatic controls finish their job and garbage starts flowing out again…”

“And with that speed I saw, he was able to enter the door within three minutes…” She whispered to herself but loud enough for others to hear.

“You know it already”, Nerve smiled when she came to that conclusion because he knew how smart she was even though she grew up on the streets of Satellite.

“You know what?” She said all of a sudden, “I gotta go!” Hanako jumped away and started running towards her runner that was still hidden under a cardboard, as she remembered something important.

“Wait, you just got here”, Nerve tried to stop her.

“Wait, you little…” Saiga ran to her trying to catch her, “Yusei told me to take care for you! I am not going to let you go there all alone!” He reached with his hand to her but she managed to slip through his fists and jumped on her runner.

“A runner?!?” Blitz, Nerve and Taka were surprised seeing a dark blue runner with ice blue details on it.

“She has one, too?” Rally was looking at her in awe while Saiga was still trying to catch her but it was too late.

“Sorry, Cowboy Hat”, she turned to him, “I have something I need to do”, she gave him a wink and started her engine.

“Hanako, wait! You can’t go there!” Rally was worried about her.

“Just leave her… There’s no use trying to stop her. She’s uncatchable”, Nerve sighed seeing Rally0s sad face.

“But she just got here”, he was looking at the direction Hanako just speeded away.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be back!” Nerve smiled to him.

“How can you be so sure?” Saiga was curious cursing himself for letting her escape.

“Because she won’t let this between her and Yusei stay in thin air like this…” Nerve explained, “Besides, the pipeline opens once a month, she’s not crazy enough to try and go through them just one week after Yusei managed to escape!”

“Let’s just hope you’re right…” Saiga murmured looking to the empty halls of West Subway while they were all listening to the sound of engine of Hanako’s runner slowly fading away; as she was further and further away from their hideout leaving them wonder where she could be heading at…


	6. Recreating the Past Part I

5th Chapter

(following anime episodes 30, 31 and 32)

**Recreating the Past**

**Part I**

It was the middle of the night when Hanako went out to search for Yusei and since all kids went to sleep, Crow decided to do some business while Hanako’s out, so that he can surprise children early in the morning when they wake up. He went to a Security building’s storage area in search for new cards opening the card boxes full of decks that were captured and taken away from people that ended up in the Facility.

“There’s good stuff here”, he smiled with satisfied expression running all over his face. He placed the deck in a bag he carried with him and moved to another card box with cards leaving his Blackbird outside just few blocks away where Police was keeping everything in order when they bumped into Crow’s Blackbird.

“We received information that a mysterious D-Wheel is parked at A2 block”, the sound on a handheld transceiver was heard.

“Roger. We’re heading to that location”, policemen went out to check it but when they arrived, they had no idea what to do.

“This must be it. I’ve never seen this type before”, said one of them.

“Why is it parked in a place like this?”

“Have no idea…”

While they were arguing about the strange D-Wheel parked near the Security building, Crow was sniffing through stuff that were confiscated from lawbreaker and gathered in card boxes.

“I can also use this! Leaving it here would be a waste”, he said to himself after he saw a good deck hidden inside one of the boxes. He remembered how right here he found the deck that Hanako has now. It was a good deck, stolen from elite family from Neo Domino City, so card in it were very rare and powerful with Hanako’s ace monster Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, she was able to win most of her duels and escape from the Police. And even though there were duellists much stronger than her, Police was never in that group of people, so Crow could easily let her wander around Satellite without any fear she’ll get caught and there was that guys Ushio, who seemed to be protecting her all the time but Crow had no idea why. And while he was thinking about it all now, policemen were trying to move that strange runner away but it opened two metal boards that looked like wings and started moving it around like it was trying to fly.

“What?” One policeman shouted.

“What is this?” Another one tried to touch the runner to find a turn off switch but light electricity ran through his spine.

“Let’s tow it away”, they both agreed on this idea.

State of the runner just made it harder to move it from that spot but they somehow found a way without any idea how Crow was still stealing cards from Security building. His smile never faded away, as he was looking through the boxes full of duel monster cards.

“I’ll take this, too!”

Policemen managed to bring a single car hauler and take away Crow’s runner, so his duel disk started giving him a signal how his Blackbird has changed its position.

“As expected, they brought it for me”, he was satisfied with how this situation turned out and it was time to go back home, “With this much baggage, I can’t use the street that I came in”, he was looking around trying to find a way to exist the building but without any way to go out with the bag full of cards that was now half his size, he stepped away looking through the dark hallway when he put his goggles on and saw laser security rays that were supposed to trigger the alarm if you touch them, “May you be blessed, Baby, for these gadgets”, he shouted when he remembered how Hanako made those goggles for him just to try to stop him from getting into trouble he was already in or at least to help him get away easier.

“Oh, well… Here I go!”

Crow started running through laser rays activating the alarm, so Security was already on its way to capture him and he knew it because of the loud speaker echoing through the building.

“All workers capture him! I repeat, someone broke into the storage area!”

“He’s over here!” Shouted a man behind Crow’s back and when Crow looked behind, he saw few policemen chasing him.

“Capture him!”

“You won’t capture Crow-sama”, Crow was laughing and running towards the exit, jumping through the glass window calling for his runner, “Blackbird!” He placed his duel disk on the runner and activated the system placing his helmet on his head, “Thanks for bringing this over here! I need it to escape!” He started his engine and drove away jumping with his runner over the fence gate that police was trying to shut down to stop Crow from escaping.

“Don’t get him get away!” Policeman shouted, so two of them started chasing Crow on their Police runners.

“Don’t underestimate its abilities!” Crow was keeping a smile on his face thanking Hanako for rebuilding and improving his runner that Pearson entrusted him, so Blackbird was fully upgraded and its speed was incredible, so police couldn’t even catch up to it. In the end, they had to activate speed spell to catch Crow into a duel because it was the only way to slow him down. Blackbird’s system turned autopilot on standby and duel mode on, so Crow knew what to do.

“So you want to fight!” He smiled, “I’m in a riding duel and my speed is required to decrease… That’s the only way to catch up to me”, he looked behind his back to see a policeman riding behind him.

“My turn!” Policeman shouted and drew a card, “I summon Gate Blocker (ATK 100/DEF 2 000) in defense position! Then I set three cards face down and end my turn!”

“It’s my turn then”, Crow drew a card waiting for his Speed Counter to increase but nothing happened, “What? My Speed Counters don’t increase?”

“Too bad for you! When gate Blocker is on the field, you can’t gain Speed Counter!”

“I see!” Crow seemed like having fun, “That’s annoying card you have there!”

Policeman was silent but his thought were echoing through his mind, _“Don’t underestimate me, thief! These three set cards…”,_ he looked at his field, _“The first card is Sakuretsu Armor! It destroys your monsters when it attacks! The next card is Dust Tornado. It destroys your trap and spell cards! The final card is Intercept; when you release a monster to summon a high-level monster, I gain control of it! With these three cards, your monsters can’t attack, you can’t activate traps and you can’t summon a high-level monster! All your actions are blocked! I won’t let you escape!”_

Crow was just smiling and started with his turn, “I special summon Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn (ATK 2 000/DEF 900)! I can special summon this card from my hand when only you have monsters on the field! The I special summon Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind (ATK 1 300/DEF 400!)” Crow already special summoned two monsters on the field and he can still normal summon a monster according to the ruled of the game, “I can special summon Gale the Whirlwind from my hand when I have a Blackwing on my field! Then I summon Blackwing – Bora the Spear (ATK 1 700/DEF 800)!”

“ _He instantly summoned three monsters”,_ Policeman thought to himself feeling trapped, “However, you don’t have any monsters on your field that are stronger than Gate Blocker’s defense points!”

“Humph! Your Security Deck is nothing but a lame Rock Deck!” Crow shouted from over his left shoulder while looking at the officer, “It’s not good enough to evade my attack! I activate Gale the Whirlwind’s monster effect! One of your monster’s defense points are halved!” Being said that, Gate Blocker’s DEF reduced down to only 1 000 points, so Crow continued with his turn, “Then from my hand, I activate the trap card Delta Crow – Anti Reverse!”

“He can activate a trap from his hand?” Officer was caught by a surprise.

“I can activate this trap from my hand when I have three or more Blackwings on my field! All set cards on your field are destroyed!”

“What?!?”

“Next, I activate Sirocco the Dawn’s monster effect!” Crow shouted, “I select one Blackwing on my field! The non-selected monsters can’t attack, but their attack points are added to the selected monster’s attack points! Bora the Spear powers up by gaining the strength of Sirocco the Dawn and Gale the Whirlwind!!!”

“5 000 attack points?!?” Officer was frightened by Crow’s actions but it wasn’t the end.

“Then Bora the Spear’s monster effect activates! When this attacks a monster in defense position, if its attack points are greater than your monster’s defense points, the difference is dealt to you as damage!” Crow was so thrilled about the duel even though he managed to win in his first turn, “Take this! Black Spiral!” He shouted as Bora the Spear attacked officer’s Gate Blocker and destroyed it. Since the difference in points between Bora the Spear’s attack (5 000) and Gate Blocker’s reduced defense points (1 000) was 4 000 points, officer lost the duel immediately as both of them started with 4 000 LP.

“That punk!” Shouted another officer from the police van that was following Crow, “I won’t let you escape!” He was pointing towards himself, “There’s a cliff up ahead! There’s no way to escape!” But Crow wasn’t decreasing his speed; he pushed it to the limit and was driving towards the cliff even faster. He pulled his runner into the air, changed its formation into fly mode and the Blackbird spread it’s metal wings flying over the cliff. Police had to break the vehicle and stop; unable to continue with the chase, as that other area of Satellite was too dangerous even for them, so they backed down while Crow continued with his journey heading back to Daedalus Bridge.

When he arrived there, a bunch of kids started running to him.

“Crow!” Shouted little boy.

“It’s Crow!” Added a little girl that was part of the group and so everyone else came to Crow and gathered around him shouting.

“Welcome home, Crow!”

“Did you all behave?” Crow asked happily and children nodded, “Then I have gifts for you!”

“Hooray!” They all shouted happily.

“Awesome!”

“We can really have them?” Little girl asked when Crow handed the cards to them.

“Yeah. The cards are happier being with you”, Crow nodded as the kids took duel monsters cards from him, “But remember, don’t do anything bad that attracts Security’s attention! Or else, you’ll have a face like mine”, he pointed to his face with his thumb, “If you listen to what I say, I promise that Hanako and I will someday take you away from this place!”

“Right!” Kids shouted in unison when a dog barked, standing next to a girl. It was a stray dog that Hanako found on the street and brought to their hideout to take care for it. She used to collect animals like they were some trophies. Once, she even adopted a bird that was unable to fly and took it in, taking care for it until it was ready to fly and go far away from Satellite to some place warmer and happier. It was happiness that matters the most, so after Crow made sure everyone is happy now, he went inside, bringing his Blackbird to its place when he heard news on the TV.

“We have breaking news… His name is Yusei Fudo! It’s the birth of a new King!”

Crow was looking to the screen, “Yusei?” Then he remembered how Hanako went out to search for him but when he looked around, there was no sign of her return and her runner still missing from the garage, “So Yusei actually succeeded… That means the City duellists aren’t very skilled”, Crow laughed shrugging, “I just wonder why Hanako didn’t show up… If Yusei went to Neo Domino City, there’s no way she’ll find him here…” He now looked worried with Hanako’s character showing inside his mind, “She’ll be disappointed when she finds out…”

Crow took his runner back to the outside and placed the helmet on his head, “I guess I’ll have to find you, Baby…” Thinking about how she could be anywhere by now, he decided to look for her, so he left children, took his runner and drove away. On his way out, he heard the sound of a helicopter and at first he got scared Security is chasing him.

“Geez, you go out for a minute and they are already at your tail”, he rolled his eyes but then he realised that this helicopter doesn’t belong to Security. Curious about who could be in there, he started following it when he saw a red D-Wheel coming out from it. When he approached the helicopter, he saw a face that he knew too well, ‘’Yusei!’’ Crow shouted sitting on his runner and looking down to Yusei.

‘’Crow!’’ Yusei returned the call.

''No wonder she couldn't find ya here!'' he was laughing in relief while he was standing on a pile of junk.

‘’She?!’’ Yusei was confused but Crow just ignored his state and slide through junk right in front of him raising his right hand like he was planning to hit him. After a few moments, Yusei did the same and as they approached each other, their hands clapped, turning into fists slightly kicking each other in the gesture of a handshake, ‘’Long time no see, Crow’’, Yusei couldn’t hide a smile from his face while tapping Crow’s shoulder, so Crow did the same in return.

‘’So, you’re back home! I came because I saw the copter, but I never guessed you’d be in it… And you got marked, too’’, Crow noticed which made Yusei move his eyes to the mark.

‘’It happens…’’ He stopped for a second and then looked up to see Crow’s D-wheel parked on a pile of junk, ‘’So you finally finished your D-wheel, did you?’’

‘’It’s Hanako’s masterpiece! It’s the coolest thing around. It’ll let me beat you and Jack out by a mile!” He was so proud of his D-wheel that Hanako managed to improve as much as she could after Pearson died.

‘’Hanako?’’ Yusei’s heart started beating faster at the thought the he could possibly see her again after two long years, ‘’So that’s who you were applying to... How is she?’’

‘’She’s good. We have our good and bad times. You know how it is here in the Satellite. But she misses you… Maybe even more than I do’’, he laughed.

‘’Where is she now?’’

‘’I have no idea. We were talking about the past and she decided to find you, saying how she needs to talk to you... Anyways, I came to find her because she hasn’t returned home for a while and that’s when I saw a helicopter and found you!’’ He was scratching back of his head, as he was confused a bit.

‘’Maybe we should find a better place to talk’’, Yusei answered and got Crow’s agreement. Both of them then drove up the road until they reached its very end. The road was broken and ruined; completely cut in half, so they sat there at its very end and started talking about lots of stuff. Yusei was telling his story to Crow about Fortune Cup, duel with Jack, Signers, his new friends he met...

“I see. You’re caught in a horrible situation”, Crow said sitting on the edge of the broken street with Yusei sitting by his side.

“I want to make sure that Rally and others are safe”, Yusei sad calmly.

“All right, let’s go to your hideout!” Crow was happy to accompany Yusei on his quest but Yusei was just looking around like he was trying to find something.

‘’Say, Crow… It’s more deserted here than before…’’

"You got a good eye, Yusei. It’s because of some creepy guys that showed up… Look!” Crow pointed to a man with hooded cloak leading some brainwashed group of people to an unknown place, “It’s rumoured that they trick people with their shady lectures and gather them deep within Satellite”.

“Deep within Satellite?” Yusei was confused.

“Even Satellite is becoming weird”, Crow said still looking at those creepy guys thinking about how dangerous has it become to be wandering around Satellite all alone and that made him remember how Hanako left the hideout last night and hasn’t come back, ‘’I wonder where she is now…’’ Crow sighed in despair, “With these creeps around, I’m really worried that something happened to her…”

“Hanako?” Yusei asked, “Where was the last time you saw her?”

“Last night…” He murmured in despair.

‘’Do you know where she could be?’’ Yusei tried to help find a place to first look for her.

"Well… I know only 2 places she might be, if she was looking for you”, he explained.

“And one of them could be where Rally and others are”, Yusei said with a smile.

"You got a point there. Let’s go!’’ Crow jumped and gave Yusei a hand to help him stand, so Yusei grabbed his hand and nodded.

“Let’s go, Crow!”

* * *

“Geez, I shouldn’t have let that little girl escape! Yusei’s going to kill me!” Saiga wasn’t very happy with everything that happened just a few moments ago.

“Relax, bro”, Taka said waving with his hand while sitting on a sofa, “She can’t live a second without Yusei, she’ll be back in no time!”

“But you do realise that she didn’t see him for two long years and she is still alive?” Nerve answered.

“Yeah, so?” Taka protested.

“I wouldn’t say that she cannot live without him for a second”, Nerve giggled when the sound of a D-Wheel started echoing throughout the hallways, so Rally and Saiga were the first ones to sneak behind the curtain.

“Is that the sound of a D-Wheel?” Rally was confused.

“Could it be Hanako?” Blitz was curious.

“See? I told you!” Taka answered happily.

“Maybe she forgot something…” Blitz tried to scold him and find a reason why they hear a D-Wheel at a time like this.

As the D-Wheel was approaching their hideout, Rally could see there were two of them and one face he was able to recognise without a doubt. It was Yusei smiling to him, so Rally couldn’t help but smile back.

“It’s Yusei!” He shouted happily holding his fists tight.

“He’s back!” Blitz added.

“What?” Taka raised his head, as he was still sitting on his sofa.

“Yusei?” Nerve was the last one to react.

Yusei just took off of his runner, removed his helmet and said, “I’m happy that everyone’s safe!”

“Yusei!” Rally started running towards him with his arms wide open, “I knew that you’d come home, Yusei!” He was now holding Yusei tight in his arms while looking up to catch his eyes. He was very short, so he could hug Yusei only around his waist but he didn’t mind.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Rally”, Yusei smiled looking at Rally’s eyes that were shaking in awe but then he saw Saiga standing next to other three of his friends, “Saiga, thank you!”

“It’s fine”, he answered, “Now if only she didn’t escape like that…” he murmured still angry at himself for letting her loose.

“She?” Yusei whispered but their conversation soon came to an end when Crow jumped in putting his helmet away.

“Isn’t it about time you let me into this group?” He seemed to miss what Saiga and Yusei were talking about.

“Crow?!?” Taka, Blitz and Nerve shouted in unison.

“I’m shocked! That was you?” Blitz asked with surprise shaking on his face.

“Yusei isn’t the only D-Wheeler in Satellite”, he smiled looking at Yusei.

“And we found the third one, too”, Saiga smiled ironically.

“What?” Crow was confused.

“Hanako…” Yusei murmured.

“Wait, Saiga, she was here?” Crow asked and Saiga nodded to confirm the information.

“We tried to stop her but she wouldn’t listen”, Rally was now sad just at the thought of her running away again like that.

“Do you know where she went?” Crow was curious still thinking where she might be.

“Have no idea”, Nerve shrugged.

“Whoo, I’m relieved that nothing happened to her”, Crow sighed.

“But we still have to find her”, Yusei said, “It’s still not late for something to happen to her, don’t you think?”

Crow just nodded with a smile when they all heard strange noises.

“We found you, Crow!” Sirens started spreading their pitching sound through the sky, “This is Security! Come out nice and quiet!”

Crow was scratching his marked face, “It seems we brought some unexpected guests!” And just then a smoke bomb fell right through the cracks in the ceiling.

“This is bad!” Blitz shouted while everyone was covering their mouth, “It’s tear gas!”

“Leave it to me”, Crow pointed to them, “Let’s meet at Daedalus Bridge. My hideout is there!”

Everyone agreed to this and they separated.

“Crow, come out nice and quite!” Police was still trying to make him come out of Yusei’s hideout while they were sitting in a police van, “You can’t escape!”

They were patiently waiting for Crow to come out when black runner jumped out of the broken hallway right in front of them accelerating his way out.

“We won’t let you escape, Crow!” The van catapulted a strange device from its roof.

“We’ll capture you with our new weapon!”

Crow was speeding up looking behind his back to see what’s going on, “Hmmm, interesting!” He turned left on the next corner with high speed just to see who is he dealing with but the strange device was flying behind him capturing his every move.

“It seems you have some skills”, Crow laughed when he saw another D-Wheel just the street next to him, showing and disappearing as he was passing buildings in the streets of Satellite.

“I also feel like playing”, Yusei approached Crow’s runner passing through the building from the other side and his actions made Crow burst in laugh but it didn’t take long for a Police to scan Yusei’s marker and realise how he’s back to Satellite and is also former resident of the Facility.

“If he’s going to interfere, then we’ll also capture him!” One policeman said to the other forcing the Field Spell Speed World after they agreed to capture both of them, so the duel started.

“They are starting a duel that uses tag Force rules”, Yusei explained to Crow.

“The rules state that two people share a single field and life points”, Crow nodded, “Interesting! Yusei, for the first time in a while, let’s team up!” Smile was resting on Crow’s face, as he was so thrilled to do this with Yusei by his side and so the duel between 4 of them began!

* * *

Blitz, Rally, Saiga, Taka and Nerve were escaping trying to reach Daedalus Bridge, to find a place to hide until Yusei and Crow meet them there. First they had to walk over an old wooden bridge that was swinging from right to left and back, as they were stepping closer and closer to the other side of the cliff.

“Hey, stop shaking!” Blitz shouted angrily at Taka, who was standing right behind him.

“Why don’t you walk faster?!?” Taka answered.

“You’re holding us up!” Nerve added to Taka, as he was standing in front of him, blocking the way.

“Many people with markers are up ahead”, Blitz said walking forward.

“Even Security doesn’t dare enter this lawless area”, Taka said with his legs shaking.

“It’s like a district in Hell”, Nerve murmured.

“I see”, Saiga concluded, “It’s a perfect hideout for people with markers!”

“C’mon guys”, Rally said, “If Hanako can manage living here, so can we!”

“How is she connected to this in any way?” Taka almost exploded.

“She’s a girl and is probably going this way every single they and you three are shaking like little babies”, Saiga said calmly trying to explain what Rally’s words were pointing at.

“Look over there!” Rally pointed to the broken bridge with a smile on his face.

“It’s Daedalus Bridge!” Taka said still trying to reach the other side of the cliff.

“It’s also a dangerous area in Satellite named Barbaric Area After Damage”, Nerve added, “Also known as BAD!”

As they approached the Daedalus Bridge, there was no sign of life at all. Everything was deserted, peaceful and quite.

“No one’s here”, Rally said with sadness covering his voice.

Saiga was suspicious, “Are you sure this is where we’re supposed to meet?”

“Yeah, there’s no mistake”, Nerve said looking around.

“Maybe Security captured Yusei and Crow!” Taka started panicking.

“You idiot!” Nerve scolded him, “Don’t say that! It’s bad luck!”

“Guess we’ll just have to wait for them to appear”, Saiga shrugged as they all stood in one place looking over the silent surrounding they were now caught in...


	7. Recreating the Past Part II

5th Chapter

(following anime episodes 33 and 34)

**Recreating the Past**

**Part II**

„He escaped again”, Policeman shouted angrily to his colleague because they let Crow escape again. Crow managed to win the duel against them with Yusei’s assistance and they were now smiling happily, as the thrill of the duel was still flowing through their bodies. Yusei reached his fist to Crow during their ride and Crow slightly punched him with his fist in return.

“We did it, Crow!”

“You’ve improved your skills by going to the City”, Crow smiled.

“I guess”, Yusei smiled back.

“No wonder Hanako became so strong after you were teaching her how to duel”, Crow pointed out trying to get from Yusei as much information as he could about what happened to them two years ago even though he knew almost every part of the story. It was like he wanted to see Yusei’s reaction and hear his part of the story.

“How’s she doing, Crow?”

“She’s good. Fixing stuff all the time and keeping smiles on children’s faces… You know how she is!”

“Yeah…” Yusei moved away to his thoughts trying to remember Hanako’s face and his mind was entirely taken over by his thought; he started visualising Hanako’s presence thinking about how she could’ve changed by now.

Realising how Yusei won’t talk much about her, Crow changed the subject, “How’s Jack doing? They found out he’s from Satellite, so he went into hiding…” But Yusei didn’t say a word, so Crow got the need to explain his first question, “Do you hate him for what happened two years ago?”

“I don’t hate him”, Yusei tried to focus on the road; “It’s the path Jack chose for himself. No one could’ve stopped him”, he explained, “I believe in him! No matter how far he falls, he always climbs back up!”

“You’re right”, Crow moved his eyes away from Yusei, “He’s that kind of guy!”

Thinking about Jack and how he’s pride never lowered its position, Crow was taken away by his thoughts never realising how fast they’ve reached their location when Yusei finally called for Crow pointing to the bridge.

“There!”

“Yeah, we’re here”, Crow smiled, “Maybe Hanako will be here, too!” He looked at Yusei searching for his reaction but he showed no emotions to it.

Under the bridge, Yusei’s friends were waiting for him to come back… Rally heard a noise and it sounded like the engine of someone’s runner, so he turned around.

“They’re here!” he raised his hands trying to run into Yusei’s arms , “Hey, Yusei!” But his eyes widened when he heard a bunch of lousy little kids shouting, so he stopped with his intentions.

“Welcome back!” Little kids sneaked out of the old houses, their heads popped out of thw windows and they started running towards Crow and Yusei when all of a sudden that deserted hideout turned into a kindergarten.

Blitz, Nerve and Taka were looking at the scene with confused yet slightly surprised looks on their faces surprised with the scene they just found themselves in.

“Wonder where they all fitted in”, Blitz said ironically.

“Who knows”, Nerve shrugged.

“Where are our presents?” Children started shouting when they reached Crow.

“What’s wrong with you? The moment you see me, you start asking for presents?” He moved away from his runner, placed his hands on the hips and added, “I gave you presents this afternoon! Geez, where’s that Hanako spirit in you, guys? You’re never like that when she’s around!”

“Don’t be stingy!” Kids protested.

“Give us some!”

“Fine, fine!” Crow was waving with his hands, “I don’t have presents but I did bring you the new King. The hero of Satellite”, he moved his hand to point at Yusei like he was announcing his comeback, “Fudo Yusei!”

But Yusei just removed his helmet still sitting on his runner and sighed in relief, as a lot has happened since the morning he came here.

“Yusei?!?” Kids were confused at first.

“I know who you are! You beat Jack!” One little boy ran to see him.

“Awesome! It’s really him!” Shouted another kid and everyone gathered around Yusei like little chicks around the warm bulb.

“It’s the King!” Children began shouting.

“He’s so cool!”

“C’mon kids, don’t touch the new King with your dirty hands! That’s bad luck!” Crow was pointing towards them but they never seemed to listen.

“Gimme your autograph!”

“Autograph!” Kids shouted one after another while Yusei’s friends were looking at them.

“Where were all those kids hiding?” Rally was surprised, “They have no shame!” He seemed like he’s jealous because kids were trying to steal Yusei’s attention.

“Maybe I should get Yusei’s autograph while I still can”, Taka smiled with his finger on his chin like he was deeply thinking about something. He was trying to come up with a plan for the future, “I might be able to sell it for a high price!” He was so happy with this idea but Rally just kicked him with his leg because he thought it was stupid and meaningless...

“Let’s get inside; it’s getting late”, Crow shouted to everyone leading the way, “I’ll bring you something to drink”, he smiled and as the night was falling down, he remembered, “Hanako should be around here somewhere, too!” He smiled to Yusei pointing to a place where he can park his runner, while everyone else gathered around fireplace, sitting on their rolled sleeping bags.

When Crow came back, he saw some of the kids climbing Yusei’s red runner.

“Awesome!”

“How cool!”

“You guys”, he shouted holding bottles of cold beverage in his hands. “Don’t go monkeying around that D-Wheel!”

“Yeah, we know”, shouted a little boy that was distracted by Crow’s words but as Crow left, children just continued what they were doing like Crow was never there; pushing some buttons, sitting on the runner and imagining that they’re in a riding duel.

Crow just sighed to their reaction and approached the group where everyone seemed to listen to Yusei’s story that was already told to Crow today, so he was familiar with it.

“Is that true, Yusei?” Blitz seemed like the most curious one.

“Here”, Crow gave them bottles interrupting their conversation.

“Thank you”, Taka answered, as he took the bottles and passed them to others.

“Yeah, I saw it”, Yusei said, “Satellite is destroyed in the future!”

“You must be kidding!” Nerve wasn’t really happy to hear that.

“Does that mean Satellite is going to become the battlefield against the Dark Signers?” Taka asked.

“Wait a second”, Blitz shouted, “Can you trust Godwin’s story? He’s the one who put that marker on your face, Yusei!” He looked at Yusei what made Rally, who was next to him, look at Yusei’s face to see a marker under his left eye.

“I don’t know if it’s true”, Yusei sighed, “However…” He removed his right glove and showed them his scar that was engraved into his arm; it was the mark of the Crimson Dragon representing the tail, “This and Stardust Dragon say that they’re the enemies!”

“Even if this place becomes the battlefield, I’ll protect them!” Crow changed the subject to himself, as he was now looking at kids that were still playing with Yusei’s runner, “Hanako and I are the only ones who can protect them!”

“Baby…” Yusei murmured when he remembered she should be here somewhere.

“I’ll help you, Yusei!” Crow answered but Yusei didn’t look happy to hear that, so Crow assumed that Hanako was still on Yusei’s mind.

“You’re worried about her, aren’t you?” Crow asked but Yusei remained silent, “She’s fine! She’s a grown up girl, ya know?”

Yusei looked at Crow with a glance but his lips were still sealed.

“You’d be surprised to see how she has changed!” Crow was all perked up and just when Yusei was trying to answer a little girl jumped on Crow’s back.

“Crow, tell me that story!” As she pushed herself over Crow, his hair band fell onto his eyes, so everything he saw was pure darkness.

“That story again?” Two boys that were playing with Yusei’s runner heard what little girl has said, so they stopped their play and moved closer to Crow with their hands crossed.

“You really love that story!” They were not very happy with the idea of listening to the same old story all over again.

“So what?” Little girl protested, “I like Crow’s stories”, Crow was looking at them arguing behind his back.

“All right!” Crow turned his body towards them, “I’ll tell you the story but you have to tell me something first”, he pointed his finger to the sky.

“What?!?” Kids asked in unison, confused by Crow’s words.

“Is Hanako here somewhere?”

“No”, one of the boys saddened his face.

“We thought she’s with you, Crow”, girl added looking at Yusei, who was carefully listening to their conversation.

“I see…” Crow murmured.

“We thought you brought King Yusei here to make Hanako happy”, girl shouted and her words managed to draw everyone’s attention making their eyes stare at the little girl because of what she said.

“Make Yusei happy?” Blitz asked and all of a sudden everyone was silent still concentrating on the little girl, so no one could’ve seen a pale blush that showed up on Yusei’s face, as he was now embarrassed by girls’ words.

“Yeah”, said little boy, “Hanako is very sad lately and she doesn’t even cook for us anymore!”

“Well… That’s because my cooking is better!” Crow shouted.

“Is not!” Little boy answered.

“Sure is!” boy’s words threw Crow for a loop but soon a smile appeared on his face, “You know what, little ones? I’m going to tell you a story and then all of you will go to sleep and when you wake up…”

“You will bring us more presents?” Another boy shouted happily.

“No, I’ll bring you Hanako back!”

“Yaaay!” Kids raised their hands and Crow began with his story about the legendary man of Satellite, “Long, long ago, there was an extremely poor and small island…” It was the story of an island with people on it, who were prohibited to leave the area. All they could do was look at the richer and bigger island next to to theirs.

“That’s supposed to be City and Satellite”, one of the boys shouted.

“Really?” Little girl shouted in surprise.

“Seriously, guys”, Crow rolled his eyes, “You really lack a little thing called _delivery_ around a girl’s feelings…”

“Don’t you mean _delicacy,_ Crow?” Blitz shouted from behind.

“Aaah…” Crow was feeling embarrassed, “That’s what I meant!” His reaction made all children laugh, “No wonder I can’t deal with Hanako at times like these…” He sighed while everyone was looking at him, so he continued with his story explaining how it’s a story about Neo Domino City and Satellite. It was a tale about legendary man, who tried to free Satellite. The man drifted into this city on a D-Wheel that no one has seen before. Day after day, he would gaze into the Neo Domino City from Satellite and one day, he came up with an idea, as he realised his purpose in life; it was the task of building a bridge to the city, the Daedalus Bridge. Thinking how his idea is crazy, everyone was calling him a freak but one day, since the legendary man never gave up, people who mocked him at first all started to think the man might be able to do it, so they were there to help. By recycling trash from the City, people helped the man build the bridge and to them it was the symbol of hope: hope to bridge them to tomorrow. It all looked like a dream for them but one day Security stopped the construction and tried to track down everyone who was building the bridge, so they gave up figuring it was hopeless.

“Security should pay!!!” Shouted Rally in the middle of Crow’s story, as he was fully into it by now.

“Shut up! You’re in the way!” Little girl was getting angry to see Rally standing in front of her making it impossible to look at Crow and listen to his story she liked that much.

“Calm down guys”, Crow smiled continuing with his story, “The man was cornered by Security and he knew he had only two options; be caught by Security and spend the rest of his life in jail or become a legend while alive!” Crow story was slowly reaching its end, as he explained how the man chose the road of a legend, accelerating his runner over the bridge and jumping from it, trying to fly over the sea and reach Neo Domino City with metal wings spread from his runner! “From that day on the D-Wheel symbolised freedom and that man became a legend”, Crow ended with his story.

“And what happened to that man?!? Did he survive?!?” Rally was still excited to hear the story with his fists cracked and tight.

“No one knows what happened to him”, Crow bowed his head, “But…” He jumped up and showed his smile to the kids, “At least in me, in here”, he pointed to his heart and children did the same imitating his actions, “He lives on!” Shouted Crow and his words were soon followed by the voices of other children.

“Perfect!!!” They were all jumping happily to hear the end of the story.

“That’s why Crow’s D-Wheel sprouted wings, huh?” Rally was smiling happily but his realisation made Crow blush in embarrassment.

“Q-quite, you! So what if it is?” Remembering how the story is over, he started waving with his hands, “Okay, story’s over! Off to bed, tykes!”

Saiga, on the other hand, after he heard the whole story, realised something more deep, so he got the need to share his idea with others, “A man wanted to free Satellite and became a legend. I’m surprised there was someone like that in Satellite”, he said looking at Yusei, “Yusei, that makes me think… Your mark symbolizes that you’re carrying on his spirit”.

It was like Saiga wanted to imply how Yusei’s going to become a hero who will unite Satellite with Neo Domino City and everyone was now looking at Yusei but he just bowed his head and closed his eyes, “I’m not like that!” Crow was surprised by his words but Yusei just continued, “It’s late. We should also go to bed…”

“You’re right!” Nerve agreed.

“Good night, everyone!” Taka and Blitz shouted.

“Good night, Yusei”, Rally added happily and everyone went to catch some sleep near the fireplace but no one could’ve imagined how Yusei was planning on escaping from them. He tried to sneak out while the fire was still burning and everyone was sound asleep. By pushing his runner further away from Daedalus Bridge, he was making sure he’s not making too much noise; waking someone up wouldn’t be the best thing to do right now but he had no idea he’d get caught by his friend’s voice.

“I knew it. You were planning to leave all alone!” Sound of Crow’s voice made Yusei turn his back.

“Crow?!?”

“It’s not nice to leave without telling us!”

“This is my fight. This has nothing to do with you!” Yusei shook his head.

Crow was confused at first but then he smiled, “You never change”.

“I don’t want to draw you into this battle!”

“Wait!” Crow ran in front of Yusei to stop him spreading his arms, “Are you saying that I won’t be of any help?”

“You don’t understand”, Yusei bowed his head, “You risk your life in a battle against the Dark Signers. It’s different than a Riding Duel where all you care about is excitement. When you duel them, the battle takes away your life… In the end, you may die…”

“And what about her?” Crow raised an eyebrow now starting to be really worried about what could possibly happen to Hanako.

“What about her?”

“Don’t you care about what will happen to her?” Crow was surprised by Yusei’s expression that showed no emotion at all, “You do realise she left because she was looking for you? And just see what your existence caused me… More trouble and all... I gotta search for her because she’s obviously missing and…” Crow scratched his neck, “But since you’re always serious, I know that you’re telling the truth about those Dark Signers. However, I vowed to risk my life to protect the kids and Hanako… It’s her who made me find the purpose to live!”

“So you feel the same as me…” Yusei murmured.

Crow nodded, “If she’s who you’re trying to find and protect…” He was thinking how he’s getting to something now with trying to make Yusei spit out anything related to her.

“Get ready for the worst and follow me”, Yusei smiled after taking some time to think about whether it’s a good idea to let Crow be involved into this battle or not.

Crow’s face showed a huge smile, “Don’t underestimate me. I’ll be your guide!”

Yusei nodded with a smile, “Do you have any idea where she might be?”

“Not at all... If she wasn’t at your hideout and if she’s not here, she could only be at...”

“Martha’s?” Yusei got a lucky guess.

“But in that case, we don’t have to worry”, Crow smiled.

Both of them went out to search for Dark Signers to see if they can find answers…

“There should be a Dark Signer nearby”, Yusei shouted to Crow as they were getting closer to the Old Momentum.

“Old Momentum? That’s in the deepest part of B.A.D.”, Crow said.

“Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you”, Yusei smiled.

“What an interesting location for a hideout!” Crow smiled, “This way! Follow me!” He turned left on the next corner and Yusei just followed Crow’s lead. After few more turns, Crow lost his balance when someone threw a card on him but he managed to dodge it without any cuts leaving the trace on his arm.

“Are you alright, Crow?”

“No biggie”, Crow smiled when Yusei looked at the card that was thrown at them.

“Blood Vorse?” His eyes widened, as he recognised that card immediately.

“Yusei!” Shouted a voice from the silhouette, which now appeared standing on a pile of junk that was located in front of Yusei and Crow, “Crow’s with you, I see!” Yusei looked at the silhouette and there he saw a man sitting on his D-Wheel covered in darkness, “You two have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment!”

“How do you know our names?” Yusei shouted back at him.

“Humph! Already forgotten about me, have you?!” The man grabbed his cloak and removed it throwing it away to dance with the wind and showing his face to the guys.

“Could it be…” Yusei couldn’t believe his eyes, “Kiryu?”

“So, you’re alive?! Kiryu Kyosuke!” Crow shouted lookin at the mysterious man.

“Yusei! Thanks to you, I’ve seen hell!” Kiryu shouted with an evil smile resting on his face.

“You’re a Dark Signer?” Yusei was surprised and hurt at the same time; seeing an old friend of his turn into this was hard to bear, “You’re saying you’re one of the people that will destroy Satellite?!?”

“I’m going to settle the scores with you right here!” Kiryu shouted as he revved his engine and jumped with his runner over to Yusei while the Satellite around them started burning in pure violet fire. “This will be the field where a Signer and Dark Signer do battle!”

“Hey, Yusei! Looks like settling the scores really became your thing, huh!?” Crow was taken by a surprise, so he tried to cheer Yusei up because all he could do was to be there where he was and watch the duel that was about to begin…

* * *

Jack went into hiding after everyone found out how he was born in Satellite. It was the last thing he wanted to think about; he even escaped from Satellite in search for a better future but it looks like his past was haunting him! He ran away from Godwin’s mansion he was living in and some strange and geek girl named Carly took him in. She was wearing glasses and had a green hair; a reporter by profession, she was first thinking about interviewing Jack for the newspaper and revealing his secret publicly but since she always had a crush on him, she changed her mind. Having Jack Atlas sleeping in her apartment was like a dream come true, so she just decided to enjoy the moment when her phone rang in the middle of the night. She tried to come to her senses brushing her sleepy eyes and yawning.

“It’s the middle of the night!” She shouted when she picked up the phone but then she heard a female voice coming from the other side.

“I need to speak to Mr Atlas!”

Before Carly could even react to the statement of a lady that was talking to her, Jack came out of his room; it was actually Carly’s but he really started to feel himself like home the moment he went in for the first time. Taking the phone out of Carly’s hands, he answered.

“It’s me. What do you want?”

“Mr Godwin wants me to take you to Yusei, sir. I came for you!” He heard a female voice and recognised it right away; it was Miss Mikage, Godwin’s secretary who was paid to watch over Jack at the request of Godwin himself. Jack was surprised to hear her voice thinking about how is she going to take him to Yusei when a sound of helicopter started being louder and louder, “Open the window, sir!”

Jack ran to Carly’s window and opened it when he saw a helicopter with Mikage in it. He boarded the helicopter together with Carly, as she refused to leave his side and the helicopter took them to Satellite. While they were flying over the half-destroyed city, Carly saw a strange violet fog; it looked like fire is burning in the city.

“Huh?!?” She was shocked by the picture she saw.

“What in the blazes is this?” Jack was almost as shocked as Carly and as they approached the place, Jack saw Yusei duelling. He was speeding through the city lanes that were bounded by violet fire. As soon as Jack could finally see who’s Yusei duelling, he shouted, “It can’t be! Kiryu?!?”

“Jack, do you know him?” Carly was curious.

“Yeah! He was our friends”, Jack murmured remembering how they formed a Team Satisfaction 2 years ago and tried to take over the Satellite making themselves the best duelling gang in the city. Watching the duel, Jack thought how Kiryu was dead after he ended up in jail but it looks like he turned into a Dark Signer; into an enemy, who was facing Yusei.

Kiryu already had One Hundred Eyes Dragon (ATK 3 000/DEF 2 500) summoned on his field and activated its effect to gain the effect of another monster from his graveyard. It was a strategy of Kiryu’s handless combo that he loved to use to destroy his enemies and now Yusei was one of them!

“C’mon! Beg for your life!” Kiryu shouted.

“Stop it!” Yusei answered, “Kiryu… You…You never used to be like this!” Yusei was shaking in fear and sadness as he remembered how Kiryu once even saved his life by risking his own. His runner was shaking and his engine was at its wit’s end. The damage he was receiving in this battle was real and his life was in danger. It was just like he explained to Crow when he tried to warn him before he followed Yusei all the way up to here.

“Yusei!” Familiar voice shouted from the nearby place. It was Rally! He and the others found out Yusei sneaked out and went out to find him. Blitz, Nerve, Taka and Rally all gathered around Crow’s Blackbird to watch the duel because Crow connected his runner to Yusei’s and showed the screen of the battle to Yusei’s friends. Everyone was now watching the battle between the Signer and a Dark Signer; it was like the clash of the titans, like the first battle that started a war and nothing could be done to change it.

Yusei was able to reduce Kiryu’s Life Points to 900, but it wasn’t over yet.

“Damn you, Yusei!” Kiryu was shouting but it was just a show that Kiryu put just to entertain himself. He had a trap prepared and it wasn’t long until he managed to summon his evil god, Earthbound Immortal. His monster started coming out of the ground as the earth started to remble in fear. Gigantic giant all covered in purple stripes with his body completely black, rose from the ground reaching high depths of the sky moving its hands back and forth, so the helicopter that Jack was in started falling and losing its balance.

“What the hell is this?!?” Jack was shouting from the helicopter trying to lean forward to see what’s going on while Carly was shivering in fear trying to hold her tears.

“Now you will suffer like I did, Yusei!” Kiryu shouted as his god from the underworld raise its hand and attacked Yusei.

“Stardust!” Yusei called for his ace monster that was already summoned to the field but his attack didn’t went through, “What?!?” Yusei’s runner was shaking like it was imitating the tremble of Yusei’s body. It was in a moment like this that the fear took over and the adrenaline was just a part of the past. Seeing how his attack won’t work, Yusei activated his trap card, “Scrap-iron Scarecrow!”

“You ignorant fool! Do you really think your tricks will work when faced with my Earthbound God?!?” Kiryu shouted while his body was going through the waves of satisfaction when he saw the fear in Yusei’s eyes.

“Dammit! Neither monster nor Trap can defend against it!” Yusei shouted to himself while he was trying to keep the balance of his runner but it looked too much even for its engine to keep up now. Earth started shaking, ground was falling apart as Yusei was watching the god’s hand reaching for him, trying to smash him to the ground.

“Yusei!” Shouted Jack from the helicopter.

“Yusei!” Rally’s voice almost broke in half while Crow was just looking at the screen of his runner praying for Yusei to get out of this situation somehow but just before Kiryu’s god could grab Yusei, his engine broke and followed by a minor explosion, Yusei lost control over his D-Wheel, was dragged away from the attack. His runner fell down to the ground turning over a few times because of the speed he was using while his body slipped through the metal onto the ground hitting it few times before he was left lying on the ground with his face head the earth.

As the duel couldn’t be continued due to one player being completely out of arena, Earthbound God just backed down, hiding itself into the ground while Kiryu stopped next to Yusei’s almost dead body smiling and enjoying the pain he dealt to his old friend.

“I’ll hold off on your death. You must live in disgrace, stricken in terror, until we meet again!” Kiryu told Yusei, while he was groaning in pain, trying not to fall unconscious and with that being said, he drove away laughing his way out of this situation.

“Yusei!” Rally was shouting while he was running towards Yusei alongside Blitz, Taka and Nerve.

“Yusei!” Blitz shouted in fear.

“Yusei! Hang on! Are you okay?” Nerve approached him to see how’s he doing turning his body over so that they can see Yusei’d face but what they saw made them shiver.

“Aaaa…” Rally murmured.

“Oh, no…” Nerve added.

“This is awful…” Taka said with his voice trembling. Yusei’s abdomen had a giant piece of metal stabbed through his skin. It looked like a piece of broken and crashed runner stabbed his abdomen when he fell from his D-Wheel.

“Yusei, hold on!” Rally tried to help him.

“Don’t touch him!” Crow shouted while he was driving towards them on his Blackbird, “Load him on!”

“Crow?” Rally shouted with hope that Yusei’s going to be saved.

“I’ll take ‘im to Martha’s place! Hurry!” Crow shouted placing his runner in front of them while Nerve and Taka took Yusei’s body and gently placed it over Crow’s runner.

“Martha’s?” Nerve asked, “You mean the House?”

“Right!” Crow said in a hurry, “You guys can catch up!” He tried to cover the fear from his voice because he was scared that Yusei might not survive if he doesn’t act quickly, so he revved his engine and started speeding through the Satellite with Yusei’s lifeless body placed over his runner.

“Yusei…” Rally murmured as he watched Crow’s Blackbird disappearing into the darkness of the night…


	8. Sapphire Eyes Part I

6th Chapter

(following anime episode 35)

**Sapphire Eyes**

**Part I**

“How could I be so stupid?!?” Hanako shouted to herself while she was driving away from Yusei's Hideout with tears falling from her eyes and entering the speed of wind, dancing away like autumn leaves, _“I should've stayed with them to wait for him to come back! After all, he always kept his promises...”_ She thought as the wind was playing with her hair while her breath was shorter, as her speed increased. She had no idea where she’s going and the night was getting scarier as she remembered those creepy guys still taking away people from Satellite and hiding them somewhere deep within the city. She was looking for a good place to hide because she was already far away from Daedalus Bridge, so there was no way back until the sun rises again… She was looking around to see if she can think of something when she remembered Martha’s place.

“That’s it! Martha always had good advice! Maybe she can let me stay overnight at her place”, a small smile appeared on Hanako’s face when she realised how Martha is only two blocks away. She kept on accelerating just to reach Martha’s as soon as possible because her body started to shiver as the night was becoming darker than usual. When she reached a huge house with few floors, lights were still turned on, so she approached the door and knocked when she heard some steps getting closer to her.

When the door opened, Hanako was staring at an older lady with black skin and dark brown hair in a dark dress; she was higher than Hanako for one head length and was wearing a warm smile on her face.

“Baby?” Woman was surprised at first glance.

“Hi there, Martha”, Hanako returned a smile trying to hide her inner feelings of suffer and sorrow, “May I come in?”

“Sure thing, cutie”, Martha opened the door for her and Hanako entered when kids started shouted on after the other.

“Hanako!” She heard a kid’s voice from behind the walls when a little boy ran to her.

“Well hello cutesy”, she kneeled down and tapped child’s shoulder when another kid ran out of the room.

“Baby, you’re back!” Little girl was smiling as she ran into Hanako’s embrace.

The third kid also came to see her and soon she was surrounded by bunch of kids not knowing in which direction to turn first.

“Popular among the kids as always, aren’t we?” Martha shook her head with hands on her hips, “Go to sleep everyone! Bedtime’s already behind us!”

“But we wanted to see Hanako!” Little girl shouted moving away from Hanako’s embrace.

“I know but she’s staying with us tonight, so you’ll see her tomorrow when you wake up!”

Hanako was caught by Martha’s words! It was like she read her thoughts; she intended to sleepover here but didn’t mention anything to Martha because she didn’t got a chance yet, _“Well… I guess it’s the way Martha is! Always one step ahead of us all”,_ Hanako smiled and accompanied children to their beds giving her hands to them to hold.

“Hey, Baby! When I wake up tomorrow, will you show me how to ride a D-Wheel?” One boy asked holding Hanako’s hand between his palms.

“I will but you have to have your breakfast first thing in the morning, ‘kay?” She gave him a smile and little boy nodded giving a smile in return.

“And I want to see your deck!” another boy smiled.

“Me too”, added another kid.

“And I wanna hear one of your stories about hero from Satellite!”

“But you know it already”, Hanako giggled.

“I know but it’s my favourite story! I have to know everything!” Girl shouted .

“Okay, we’ll do tomorrow anything you want”, Hanako nodded as they approached their rooms. There Hanako helped them to get into their beds and exited the room after placing some sheets over their bodies and planting a kiss onto each child’s forehead, “Good night, my cutesies! We’ll play tomorrow!” She turned the lights off and went to the dining room to see Martha.

“You haven’t’ changed”, Martha said when she saw Hanako coming in.

“Is it a good or a bad thing?” Hanako raised an eyebrow.

“Well… As long as you’re willing to talk about it, I’m happy…”

“Talk about what?”

“About your inner feelings”, Martha said allowing Hanako to sit down.

“What’s wrong with them?” Hanako tried to hide her feelings from Martha even though she knew it’s not possible.

“C’mon, Baby! Don’t be so stubborn. You didn’t come here to have a pyjama party at my house”, Martha took a cup and poured in some tea that was left from the dinner.

“I can’t fight you, can I?” She moved her look away and started gazing through the window when silence took over the room. As she was sitting there and Martha handing her a cup of tea, Hanako decided to tell Martha what was in her heart, “I came here to look for an advice…”

“Is there something bothering you or you just need my approval?”

“I think it’s a little bit of both”, Hanako moved her eyes to Martha because she was trying to sit on a chair that was placed across the table and when Martha looked Hanako straight into her sapphire eyes, she said again, “I’m scared…”

“Why? What happened? Is it again something from the Past that is haunting you?”

“Well… I guess you can say it that way, yes…” Hanako whispered, “You see, I talked to Crow about how we used to hang out a lot with Jack, Kiryu and Yusei and I remembered what happened two years ago and…”

“Look, my dear! Jack chose his way by himself, no one could stop him and you know that very well! I know how much you miss him but…”

“This has nothing to do with Jack, Martha…”

“Oh, so there we are”, Martha giggled when she saw Hanako’s blushing face.

“I decided to find him and talk to him about what happened two years ago”, Hanako had no strength to spell Yusei’s name but Martha knew exactly who was on her mind.

“I know you stopped coming to his Hideout but I told you already how you have to talk to him about it and clear thing up between you two”, Martha began being angry at Hanako because she never listened to Martha’s advice and was always asking for one, “No one can help you! It’s something only you can do, my child!”

“I know, Martha, and I’m so sorry but…” Hanako’s hands were shaking, “I’m such an idiot and a coward”, she bowed her head, “First I saw him speeding through Satellite but I had no idea it was him until I found his guys; Blitz, Rally, Taka, Nerve… There they said how Yusei went to Neo Domino, beat Jack in a duel and became the new King…”

“So they’re still fighting over because of those childish reasons”, Martha rolled her eyes but smile was still standing still resting on her face.

“Yeah…” Hanako nodded still looking down at her cup of tea, “And there, after thinking how I’ll never see him again, Rally told me he’s going to come back to Satellite and how I can wait for him there but…”

Martha wrapped her hands around Hanako’s. It was somehow easier to do that than to say something encouraging to her at this moment. Martha’s gesture made Hanako raise her head and look Martha straight into the eyes.

“Look what I’ve done, Martha! I was dying inside to see him and now… When meeting him was something that could possibly happen very soon, I got scared and ran away! Thinking about meeting him again after two years just seemed like something I don’t want to happen…”

“And do you know the reason behind it?”

“No… Sometimes I don’t understand myself at all… At first, I was so happy to see him because I wanted to talk to him about everything and when I realised how it’s not just a dream and that my wish may come true, I just backed down and ran away… Every time I think about facing him, my body starts to shiver and it’s hard to breath. My heart is racing within my chest and I lose my strength both physical and mental…”

“You know you’re a bit too young to be in that state, honey”, Martha said calmly.

“I just need someone to encourage me, Martha”, Hanako’s eyes started glowing and Martha thought she’s going to cry but she managed to keep her tears from falling, “You know how I found him scary and how I was afraid of him when I was child…”

“But you’re not a child anymore!” Martha started after she took a deep breath, “I never understood why you were so scared of Yusei”, she smiled to the thought of it, “Yusei is selfless and caring person and the bonds he shares with his friends is the most precious thing to him, so I don’t see why are you scared like that. I think you can tell him anything and no matter what kind of person you are now, he will not judge you but rather accept you as you are… I haven’t seen him in a while but I doubt he has changed so much that this is no longer true”, Martha gave Hanako a wink and moved her hands away allowing her to drink her tea.

“Thank you, Martha”, Hanako managed to smile as she took a sip of her tea, “I’m really tired of running but facing him is the hardest thing I had to do so far…”

“And running around Satellite with that runner of yours and hiding from the Security is easier?” Martha smiled in disbelief.

“You’re right!” Hanako giggled.

“C’mon now, Baby! Drink that tea and go catch some sleep. We’ll talk about this again tomorrow. You need to rest”, Martha stood from the table and went to prepare Hanako a room.

“Sure!” Hanako nodded.

“Your old room is still empty, so I’ll make you a bed there. When you’re ready, you know where to go”, Martha looked at Hanako with a smile and walked away.

Hanako was left alone with her thoughts sitting in the dining room and drinking tea. She soon became so tired of thinking about everything that happened today and the tea Martha prepared calmed her down, so she went to her old room meeting Martha on the hallway.

“Good night, Baby”, Martha nodded.

“Good night, Martha and thank you for everything”, Hanako smiled and entered her room. Nothing has changed since she left the orphanage. Her bed was still placed next to the window, few shelves were full of old books and a table was left with a bunch of tools spread around it, “She never touched this ever since I left”, Hanako giggled remembering her childhood days she spent in the orphanage and thinking about why would Martha leave it all as it was, “Maybe she knew I’ll be back…”

Even though Hanako used to come to Martha’s place here and there, she never stayed overnight until now. Checking what happened to her room was the last thing on her mind and she assumed how Martha gave it to another kid in the process but Martha had a strong intuition and knew exactly how to read children that grew up in her orphanage. She was taking care of them knowing every step they take; by looking out for them, she learned how they breathe... It wasn’t hard for her to know what’s bothering Hanako or what to say to her about it all and as Hanako was thinking hard about what to do and how tomorrow she’ll have a hard and long day, she got tired and fell asleep as soon as her head touched soft pillow that Martha placed on the bed just for her.

* * *

“So what now?” Taka asked others with worried look taking over his face.

“That’s simple!” Blitz acted like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “We are going to hurry to the house!”

“Right!” Everyone nodded and started running to catch Crow’s runner that took Yusei’s body to Martha’s place.

“W-wait a second!” Rally shouted, so everyone stopped and turned to him, “We have to haul this!” He kneeled down and placed his hands on Yusei’s runner.

“Hey, hey! Rally?!? You really expect to push that thing all the way to the house?” Blitz wasn’t happy with this idea, as Martha’s place was hidden deep down inside Satellite and it was miles away, “Up ahead is swarming with all kinds of thieving types!” He pointed to the red runner with his hands, “If we walk by pushing that thing…”

“Then we especially can’t leave it here!” Rally broke his sentence in half, “Di you forget? This is our invaluable treasure!”

His words made everyone sigh when Taka smiled thinking about it, “He’s right! It’s part of our important bonds with Yusei”, he started explaining his thoughts, “Everyone pitched in to scrounge up useful-looking parts so we could bring them all to Yusei”.

“Yeah”, Nerve agreed, “Ever since Hanako stopped coming, he really pushed it to the limit all alone and built that new runner. It took him long enough but all the more reason we were so happy when he finished it!”

“Yeah”, Blitz added, “We were all part of it!”

“Yes!” Rally shouted happily, “It was an achievement for all of us!” And his words now pulled others into thinking about the past and what they’ve all been through just to help Yusei build his new runner after Jack stole the first one he created with Hanako’s help.

“Let’s carry it!” Taka said all hyped about this idea now.

“Right!” Nerve felt the same way, “Our symbol of friendship!”

“Our bonds!” Added Taka in the end making Rally smile.

“Thanks, guys!”

Nerve and Taka ran to Rally, trying to pull up the runner and place it on tires, so it’d be easier to carry it along the way.

“For the love of-! Keep me out of this!” Blitz was waving with his hands up in the air. He didn’t like the idea because he knew how dangerous it is to wander around Satellite during the night with a D-Wheel. Satellite was full of thieves and robbers just waiting to jump out of the shadows and steal everything you have and someone’s runner was the most valuable thing in the city but seeing others’ effort, he couldn’t help but do the same…

They all started pulling Yusei’s runner in the direction of Martha’s house knowing how it will take them too long to reach the place but the idea of bringing that runner to Yusei somehow kept them going on. It was dark and cold in Satellite and not a single person was around. Everything was ruined, cracked or broken with building without walls, windows or door. The only thing left from the buildings was their construction template.

“These parts are pretty bad, aren’t they?” Taka said when they reached Satellite’s quarters.

“You can’t chicken out now!” Nerve said while he was helping other push the runner.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Blitz scolded him, “You were all dead-set on coming, weren’t you?”

Taka opened his mouth to say something but his intentions were interrupted by evil laughs coming out of the dark.

“They’re here!” Yusei’s friends shouted with fear while the group of thieves started coming out of the buildings’ walls surrounding them completely.

“What do you guys want?” Nerve shouted standing in front of Yusei’s D-Wheel like he was trying to protect it.

“That’s some way to say ‘hello’!” Shouted a man from the group of robbers.

“You’re not from here, aren’t you? But you did bring something pretty interesting with you!” Added someone else and their words made Nerve pick the first thing he found on the ground.

“Stay back!” Nerve pointed to one of the robbers with a wooden stick, “Keep your filthy mitts off it!”

“Nerve, back off!” Blitz grabbed Nerve’s shirt, “You’re just giving them incentive!” He said when a group of thieves started smiling again trying to attack them and surround them, so they won’t escape. “See?!?” Blitz said again, “I told you so!”

“Forget what I said!” Nerve started apologising to the group, “We’re in a rsuh, so do you think you could let us pass through there?”

“Then how about you pay the toll?” One of the thieves demanded.

“Toll?” Blitz’s body was shivering with fear.

“Yeah”, another robber said, “Why don’t you just leave that here?” He pointed to the runner with his finger.

“Q-quit joking around!” Taka wasn’t happy, “You’re not getting one screw!”

“Then leave your cards!” answered a robber, “You got that much, don’cha?”

“Don’t be crazy!” Taka shouted with his body still shivering, “We can’t give you our cards either!”

“If you don’t we’ll just take both!” One of the thieves said showing them an evil smile.

“Hey, what do we do?” Nerve asked Blitz, Rally and Taka.

“Don’t ask me!” Taka complained.

“Yusei’s D-Wheel is irreplaceable!” Rally said, “Everyone, take every card you have!”

“Dammit!” Taka said when everyone pulled their decks from their pockets.

“Here goes nothing…” Nerve whispered as they all threw their cards in the air making them fall down to the ground like raindrops.

“All right!” Rally said when every single thief started grabbing cards from the ground like his life depends on it, “Now!!!” Rally, Blitz, Taka and Nerve pushed harder and ran away as fast as they could while robbers were still trying to grab as much cards as they could.

“We made it!” Nerve said while they were taking deep breaths and breathing heavily as they ran all the way up to another block of Satellite.

“Looks like they gave up…” Blitz answered but the group of same thieves surrounded them again.

“Leave your toll!”

“Not you guys again!” Blitz shouted while he was devastated by the group’s demands.

“What now!” Taka was worried now more than afraid, “We’re out of cards…”

“Dammit”, Rally shouted, “If this is our only option…” He grabbed his shirt and started removing it from his body when others did the same and now, instead of their cards, their clothes was left on the ground for thieves to take it while they tried to run away again. Rally was happy they made it in the end but little did they know about what’s really lurking in the deepest parts of Satellite and its darkness...

* * *

“C’mon, kids! Rise and shine!” Martha’s voice started echoing through the orphanage while Hanako was in the kitchen preparing the breakfast and looking at the sun rising from behind the forest. Orphanage was hidden deep inside the woods almost twenty minutes ride from the centre of Satellite, so everyone considered the orphanage to be the safest place for children and Martha was really doing a great job here but a pair of extra hands was always more than welcome. Hanako was washing her hands when she finished with making porridge for the kids and was now preparing the table when a bunch of kids strolled down the stairs and started running around the table chasing each other, so what was at first a peaceful morning now became a loud children playground.

“Guys! Everyone grab a seat! First come, first serve rule!” Hanako shouted and everyone stopped with the chase trying to grab their seats as soon as possible because they were all hungry and happy to see Hanako after a few weeks she’s been absent. She used to come to Martha’s occasionally to play with children or fix something in the house. She knew Martha didn’t have a lot of money to pay for it, so she was more than happy to help.

“To think these kids would listen to you like that”, Martha showed herself coming out of the kitchen.

“They’re just hungry”, Hanako giggled as she was now pouring the porridge into their plates trying to keep an order and serve them like she promised; children who first grabbed their seats, got the breakfast before those who were late or slower to grab their seats.

“That reminds me”, Martha added, “Now that you’re here, could you please look something for me?”

“What is it?”

“Our stove seems to be out of function”.

“Don’t worry! It’ll be done by this afternoon”, Hanako smiled and left the kids eat their breakfast while she’s working; she also asked Martha to leave her alone until she finishes but Martha knew she’d be having such a silly request, so she didn’t bother with it much. When Hanako moved to the kitchen and saw the stove, she realised it’ll be more work with it than she thought. She grabbed her tools, sat on the floor and stared repairing it.

“Hey, Baby, watcha doin’?” Little boy approached her after some time.

“I’m trying to make this stove work again”, she said.

“How?” He was curious.

“Do you want me to show you?” She asked with a smile when little boy nodded, “See this part here?” She pointed to some strange wires with her screwdriver and the boy nodded again, “You have to connect them from here to here”, she was pointing to the left and the ride side of a metal board but the boy couldn’t keep the track, so he just backed away.

“It really looks complicated”, he was confused.

“At first maybe but once you get to know stoves very well, it’s very easy!”

“How can you get to know stove better? It’s not a human being like us!”

“Oh, it’s just my way of expression, don’t mind it”, she shook her head forgetting about how she sometimes sees things as they’d be alive but some children just didn’t get it.

“When you finish with it, we can ride your D-Wheel, right?” Little boy changed the subject.

“As soon as I fix this, so that Martha can make you a delicious dinner”, she winked and the boy exited the kitchen happily jumping from one foot to another leaving Hanako all alone again. She was trying hard to repair the stove but somehow time was passing by faster than she realised and it was already passed lunch time but she managed to fix it by then.

“You are a life saver, Baby. Thank you so much!”

“Oh, it’s nothing really”, she shook her head with a smile as washed her hands; “You know what, Marta? I’d like to check every bed in the house…”

Martha was surprised by her words, “Why is that so?”

“They are all unstable and loosened, so I’m afraid that children will get hurt and I also want them to have a good sleep, so I’d like to make sure at least their beds are in perfect state”, Hanako explained.

“Sure, Baby! But at least wait for after the dinner because you promised those kids to show them your cards and ride a runner with them”, Martha began to worry.

“I know, don’t worry, Martha! I’ll play with them first and I’ll check their beds tomorrow morning when they wake up because it doesn’t make sense to repair it while they are sleeping…”

“Aren’t you going back to Crow’s place?”

“I’m not leaving until I repair what I can!” She was shaking her head left to right and Martha knew it’s no use to argue with her about it, so she just nodded in agreement.

Day soon passed faster than Hanako could’ve imagined. Playing with kids was more fan than usual, they were all happy to see her deck and try sitting on her runner while she was driving them in circles around the orphanage. She was slowly driving them around.

“But everyone gets one lap around the house, so there’s room for everyone, ok?” Hanako smiled to the kids, trying to teach them how fairness is very important among the group of people.

“Yaaay!” They all shouted, so Hanako started accelerating around the house but she was keeping a good track on her speed, not to make it too fast, just to be sure no one gets hurt.

“Hey, Baby! Can we see your Trishula?” One boy asked when Hanako made a circle around the house with a little girl riding on her runner.

“Sure!” She smiled while she was helping the girl to come off, “We’ll just turn on the holographic system and summon this card”, she explained when she clicked few buttons. “OK, it’s now or never, guys. Are you ready?” she was smiling while looking at the card in her hand.

“Ready!” Shouted little boy.

“Me too!” Llittle girl added.

“Here! Trishula, show yourself!” She raised her hand trying to place the card onto her hybrid duel disk when little girl stopped her.

“Don’t you have something more to say to him?”

“To him?” Hanako was shocked thinking about Yusei because he was the only person she was thinking about talking to.

“Yeah, you know how you say something before synchro summoning…” She was curious with her child eyes looking at Hanako almost disappointed.

“Oh, that!” Hanako sighed thinking about how stupid she was to think a child would imply something connected to Yusei when little girl doesn’t even know what’s bothering her.

“Yeah, Baby! Say something, call him!” One of the boys shouted with excitement.

“Fine…” Hanako took a deep breath, raised her hand and started her summoning chant, “Three time-transcending Souls shall unite and fight together as one! Energy never dies, so our Love can carry on! Synchro summon… Spread your icy wings, Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!” She shouted and placed a card on the runner. Kids were amazed by her actions because she really looked like she’s duelling someone at the moment. They all started clapping happily when hologram showed big picture of Trishula, three-headed dragon with icicle wings and ice cold breath.

“Wow!” Kids were looking up into the sky with their eyes wide open when snowflakes started falling from the sky, so they tried to catch them but they disappeared as soon as they touched children’s hands. Hanako knew it was just a holographic picture but she was so happy to see those little smiles on children’s’ faces. She remembered the day Yusei and she managed to build his first D-Wheel. It was silver-metal in colour and was just a bunch of scrap metal parts put together around the engine they found on the Scrapyard. When they tested it for the first time, Yusei used the same technique to summon his ace monster, Stardust Dragon and the sky was full of small pieces of star dust. Just like her Trishula summoned a lot of shiny snowflakes, Yusei’s Stardust Dragon was dispersing stardust all over the sky. She giggled after remembering that scene and Rally’s face when Stardust flew for the first time… It was just like then, kids’ smiles were just like the one Rally had on his face more than two years ago. Taking away by her thoughts again, she got distracted from the present moment but her thoughts soon disappeared when Martha came out of the house calling everyone for a dinner. Since a lot has happened and all those playing arounds exhausted Hanako, she went to her room to rest but she had a hard time falling asleep.

“What’s wrong with me?” Her body was shaking, “It’s like something terrible is going to happen”, she went to the bathroom to wash her face; she was pale and had dark spots under her eyes, “Screw my drivers! Just what do I look like?!?” She whispered to herself, “What’s wrong with me again? I can’t stop my emotions from taking over my body again…” It was around 3 a.m. when she looked at the clock, “What is this strange feeling I’m getting?” She looked at her hands when she reached her room falling to her bed again and trying to fall asleep. She covered her face with a pillow when she heard noises coming from the outside, “Blackbird?!?” She recognised the sound of that engine, so she threw the pillow away and jumped to look out of the bed to see what’s going on. Her hands were placed on the windows as her eyes were trying to catch Crow’s presence in front of the house. There was no mistake it was Crow and his Blackbird but he had someone riding on his runner with him.

“Martha! Martha! Hurry up and open the door! It’s me, Crow!” Hanako heard loud noises as Crow started hitting the door as hard as he could.

“Crow, you idiot! You’re going to wake up the kids!” She whispered angrily and ran to Martha’s room to wake her up.

“Who is it? It’s the middle of the night!?!” Martha shouted but then Hanako entered her room.

“Martha, it’s Crow! He’s outside; I’m going to open the door!” She ran away while Martha was getting ready to go outside taking a candle with her to light up the way. She didn’t want to turn on the lights, not to wake up the kids.

“Why is he shouting like that? It’s not like someone is dying in here!” Martha was angrily shouting, as she was trying to catch up with Hanako.

“You idiot! Don’t you know children are sleeping at this time?!?” Hanako opened the door and faced Crow while Martha was trying to catch up to her but she was too fast.

“Baby, you’re here?!?”

“Of course I am! Where would I be if I’m not home?” She crossed her hands.

“We don’t have time for this, Baby!” Crow started panicking.

“Crow?” Martha managed to walk to the door.

“Martha, big trouble!!!” Crow pointed to his runner, so Martha and Hanako moved their eyes to see what was going on.

“Yusei?!?” Martha recognised him immediately while Hanako was having hard time to believe her eyes. She was standing like frozen unable to move her body. Her hands were placed on her lips and her eyes started gathering the tears while her body was trembling as she was in shock. Martha ran towards Crow’s Blackbird, “What happened?” She moved the candle she was holding when she saw Yusei’s body turned over Blackbird covered in blood. He was unconscious and blood was pouring through his abdomen onto the runner. He showed no signs of life, “This is bad!”

Hanako could only listen to what they were talking about while her body was still unmovable and steady with fear flowing through her spine like a motion wave; she saw a lot of blood covering the seat of Blackbird with Yusei’s body completely lifeless. She saw his shoulders with his back facing Hanako’s body. His face, on the other side, was hidden behind the runner.

“Hanako, don’t just stand there!” Martha shouted to her trying to bring her back from shock into reality, “Help me carry Yusei inside!”

“Y-y-yes, Martha…” Her legs were shaking and she could barely walk but she managed to approach Blackbird and place her hands on Yusei’s back trying to turn him over. She saw his pale face and he was barely breathing, so she removed the helmet from his head and threw it away not even thinking about where to put it in a moment like this. Her hands were still shaking but she somehow placed her fingers on his neck to check for his pulse. He was still alive but they had to act quickly if they wanted to keep it that way. She was caught by his sleeping face, as she moved his fringe to the side of his face only to see the yellow marker under his left eye. His face was pale, probably because he’s lost a lot of blood while Crow was trying to take him here and the only thing that Hanako could think about is how he hasn’t changed much; in fact, he hasn’t changed at all…

“Hang in there, Yusei! I’ll save you!” Martha said while Hanako cried out for Crow’s help, so he placed his hands underneath Yusei’s armpits while Hanako took his legs and they carried him inside the house.

"You have a nursery room down the hall on the right!" Martha shouted behind them as they were trying their best to act quickly and take Yusei’s body with care. They both nodded as they were carrying Yusei to the room, placing him on the surface that looked like an operation table.

"I'm going to call for Doctor Schmidt, he'll know what to do!" Martha said closing the door with hope that Yusei's going to survive.


	9. Sapphire Eyes Part II

6th Chapter

(following anime episode 36)

**Sapphire Eyes**

**Part II**

Doctor Schmidt came as soon as he heard what happened to Yusei assuming how his life could be in danger… He was with Martha in the nursery room removing Yusei’s clothes, to see the wound on his abdomen. Since one piece of metal was stick inside, he had to cut Yusei’s shirt with scissors while Martha was standing next to him to assist the doctor during the operation he had to take because scraps of metal had to me removed immediately from Yusei’s body.

Before Martha came back to the nursery room to bring Doctor Schmidt some medical instruments she kept in the house just in case, Hanako stopped her on the hallway, “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Martha, let me be inside with him!” Hanako shouted.

“You can’t go there, Baby!” Crow protested and Martha agreed with him.

“Just let me! I haven’t seen him for two years and now that I want to make everything right I want to be by his side!”

“But you’re too sensitive to watch that!” Crow said again.

“I don’t care!” She shouted back to him, “I want to be there for him!”

“Fine”, Martha nodded after she remembered the conversation they had yesterday, “If Doctor Schmidt says it’s OK, then be it”, she looked away leaving Hanako with Crow alone but before Crow could even say something to her to try to stop her, she ran into the room with Martha to face Doctor Schmidt, who was not surprised to see her.

“Oh, Baby, it’s just you!”

“Doctor, I want to be here while you try to save his life!” She said calmly holding her fists tight, still standing on the door afraid to walk in. She knew that panicking won’t bring her any good, so she tried to remain calm especially in front of Doctor Schmidt.

“I think Yusei would appreciate it”, Doctor said with a smile and Hanako didn’t believe her ears when she heard it for the first time because she thought that Doctor won’t let her be there but as soon as she realised what he has said, a small smile appeared on her face.

“Thank you, Doctor!”

“Now hurry up, put a mask on and bring me some warm water! We don’t have time to lose!”

“Yes, Doctor!” She said running to the kitchen when Crow tried to stop her in the middle of the hallway.

“Baby, wait!”

“Not now, Crow! Yusei needs me!” She said and disappeared from his sight but was back shortly after that with a bucket of water. Crow assumed it was warm, as the steam was coming out of it and Hanako was running through the hallway keeping that bucket in her arms as she looked like a child holding a ball not wanting to let go.

“Wait a second!”

“Sorry, can’t do that, I have to help them!” She said going to the room and shutting the door. She couldn’t differentiate her feelings; she was happy she can help but on the other hand, her body was stoke by fear of losing Yusei forever and she was confused with mixed feelings residing inside of her.

When she got inside the nursery room, Doctor Schmidt already started removing metal parts from Yusei’s body with tweezers. His abdomen was slightly cut and he had an open wound on his right side of abdomen just between his hip and his navel. The sight she saw was terrible and just thinking about losing him without saying a word to him or clearing out misunderstandings that happened made her lose her senses but she kept whispering to herself how she must not back down or lose to her emotions because Yusei needs all the support she can give him. As he was lying on the bed, Doctor Schmidt was standing on Yusei’s right side with Martha next to him. She was holding a plate for metal parts that had to be removed and since they had no professional tools for this operation, Doctor Schmidt had to operate Yusei without putting him under anaesthesia, so Yusei was groaning and sweating but still seemed unconscious or at least unaware of his surroundings. Hanako was having a hard time watching the scene, so she brought herself a chair and put it above Yusei’s head placing her hands on the table wrapping Yusei’s cheeks with her palms. She looked at Doctor Schmidt’s hands that were hidden inside the gloves all covered in blood while he was picking out metal parts from Yusei’s open wound. Seeing that scene made her body shiver and covered in goose bumps while she felt uncomfortable tickling down her spine… So she had to move her head away, not to look at the scene, concentrating on Yusei’s face.

“How did it come to this?” She was shaking, “To think we’ll meet after two years under these circumstances…” She sighed and started leaning towards his pale face resting her forehead on his and trying to cover her heavy breathing, “Life is just not fair, Yusei…” She couldn’t hold her tears anymore, so she started crying softly, letting her tears touch his face. He was still groaning, keeping his teeth clenched while his body was fighting the pain he was going through.

Martha looked at Doctor trying to point him how Hanako is probably in the way but Doctor Schmidt just nodded with a smile implying to Martha how it’s OK for Hanako to be in that position. He was thinking how Yusei, even though he wasn’t aware of his surrounding, still could somehow feel Hanako’s presence in the room and he was now sure that Yusei will manage to survive this situation and recover in no time, “Don’t worry! There are no injuries to his internal organs or blood vessels, so once his wounds heal, he’ll be fine”, Martha was so happy to hear that but Hanako seemed to be in another world.

“C’mon, Yusei!” Hanako whispered into the mask covering her mouth, “Don’t lose this fight now! I have so much to tell you…”

“Baby…” She heard Yusei’s weak voice calling for her.

“Doctor!?!” Martha was looking for an explanation.

“It’s OK, we’re almost over”, he said, “It’s good to know he’s reacting to us!”

“He’s not reacting to us, he’s reacting to her!” Martha whispered.

“Because they share a connection”, he smiled but Hanako didn’t hear them because she was focused on Yusei’s presence and was listening to his uneven breathing still holding her forehead strongly attached to his with her eyes closed.

“It’s me, you dummy!” She smiled with tears still covering her face, “When you wake up, I’m going to hit you with my lucky wrench for making me worry like this!” She giggled nourishing his cheeks.

“Baby, I’m done here!” Doctor said while Martha was moving away plates and other medical instruments from the table.

Hanako looked up to see the doctor and nodded.

“We should leave him to rest”, Martha said quietly.

“Yeah”, doctor agreed, so Hanako leaned once again towards him moving the mask below her chin and gently engraving the kiss of her lips into Yusei’s forehead.

She smiled but her body was still in shock, so she had no idea what she’s doing and once it was all over, she could barely remember half of it what happened. Doctor and Martha exited the room while Hanako stayed with Yusei a bit longer. Doctor only told her not to stay there for too long because Yusei needs some rest before he wakes up. She was still sitting next to him only now she moved to his right side, where doctor was before, holding his hand tight.

“I wish you can receive all my feelings right now”, she whispered, “I have so many things on my mind right now but at the same time that mind is completely blank”, she smiled to that paradoxical statement, “It’s funny how life is always playing with you, don’t you think? Crossing you path like that not just once and then bumping into you in a situation like this…” She sighed, “Who am I kidding? I’m just so glad you’re going to make it”, she smiled in tears still holding his hand tight when she felt he’s trying to squish her hand even tighter.

“Is… that you… Baby?”

“It’s me, Yusei! I’m here!” She moved her hand away from his touch and placed it on his cheek trying to stand up and lean towards his body, “Don’t even think about talking right now! You have to rest!” At first she was afraid to face him after two years, so her body was trebling but she realised he’s just rambling randomly because of the pain he went through. He still seemed to be unconscious.

“I have… So much to tell… you…” He kept murmuring to himself while his body was sweating.

“Same here, big guy… Same here…” She whispered when Martha opened the door.

“Baby!” She shouted angrily and Hanako knew it was because she stayed in the room longer than she should.

“I know, I know!” She answered moving away from the table and leaving Yusei alone to take some rest. When she came out, she heard Crow yelling like crazy.

“How dare Yusei make us worry like that!” He was holding his hands up.

“What’s going on?” Hanako was confused when she entered the hallway just to see Rally, Blitz, Nerve and Taka sitting there covered in blankets while Saiga kept his arms crossed; he seemed like he was taking care for the rest of the group.

“Baby?!?” They all shouted with one voice.

“Oh, it’s you guys again!” She smiled.

“Baby, Yusei is going to be OK!” Rally sad happily holding Yusei’s helmet in his hands.

“I know, Cutesy”, she strolled her fingers down Rally’s hair; “He’s a fighter!”

“He’s really lucky”, Martha smiled in relief.

“And why are you guys all covered in blankets?” Hanako was confused.

“Ah-choo!” Rally sneezed while his face was slightly red.

“What’s wrong?” Crow looked worried.

“I think I have a fever…” Rally managed to smile.

“What happened to you, guys?!?” Hanako was shocked to see them all shivering with red and warm cheeks and noses bleeding.

“They carried Yusei’s runner all the way up here”, Saiga explained shrugging.

“And we lost our clothes in the process”, Nerve sighed, so Hanako approached him and placed her wrist onto his forehead leaning her head closer to him to feel the temperature of his body while her nose was almost touching his, so he slightly blushed but since the fever was already making his face bright red, blush couldn’t be seen so easily.

“You really have a fever…” She murmured being worried at first but then she started shouting angrily, “What were you thinking?!? It’s freezing cold outside and you are walking around the city in your boxers?!?”

“Yusei’s runner was more valuable than that…” Blitz murmured.

“I just hope he’s aware of how precious people he has in his life as friends”, she nodded unhappily because they brought themselves into danger, “Wait for me here, I’ll take care for you!” She sounded bossy and was usually acting like a mother when she was worried for someone, so she always had the need to take care for them.

“How did she spawn in this house anyway?” Taka was confused.

“She came to see me looking for a place to sleep because she was afraid to go back to Daedalus Bridge at night!” Martha explained.

“So she was smart enough not to drive around”, Crow smiled, “That’s my girl!”

“You taught her well”, Martha gave him a smile.

“And she’s rebellious like you”, Blitz rolled his eyes after a sigh, so Crow wanted to argue with him but then Hanako rushed in coming back from wherever she was.

“Here!” She was holding four buckets of water, “Place your legs in, I’m going to make you a warm and healthy soup so you can eat something while you’re here!” She turned around and left without looking back.

“Thanks, mom!” Crow was shouting for her knowing how she won’t like it but she didn’t react, she just rolled her eyes, so no one can see it and entered the kitchen.

“She sure knows how to act like a mother…” Blitz was confused.

“Yeah”, Nerve nodded, “And with all those kids around, it’s no wonder!”

“And she’s only thirteen…” Taka added proudly.

“Sixteen!” Shouted Hanako from the kitchen.

“How was she able to hear that?” Nerve raised an eyebrow.

“Ah, never mind, guys!” Saiga spoke, “Yusei is resting and we should all do the same!” Everyone nodded as they all went to their rooms while Hanako was preparing them something warm to eat.

* * *

Hanako decided not to see Yusei until he wakes up because she was still afraid to face him, so she had no idea in which room Martha placed him, as she was only entering hers. Crow soon left to see the kids under Daedalus Bridge and he promised Hanako he’ll take care for them and send them a kiss from her. He knew how Hanako won’t leave Yusei’s side no matter what, so he proposed this idea himself and Hanako was grateful for that. She decided to busy herself with something the next day, just to keep herself from thinking about what will happen when Yusei wakes up, so she took her tool box and went outside to check Yusei’s runner. All kids were with her, gathered around in circle looking what she’s doing. They were bringing her some parts she needed and were asking all kinds of questions and even after two days, they were still not fed up of doing it...

“Hey, Baby, why is this crumpled?” One boy asked.

“It probably hit the ground”, she murmured while she was removing some screws from the runner and reassembling it all over again.

“Do you think you can turn it back to the way it was?” Little girl added.

“I don’t know but if we all work together, I’m sure we can make it!” She smiled, so everyone happily raise their hands with smiles on their face.

“What else can we do?” One boy was confused right after the happiness stopped.

“Go see Martha inside and ask her to bring me a hammer, ok?”

“A hammer?” Boy’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, a hammer!” She giggled, “We need to un-crumple this metal! Now go!”

“Yes! Yes!” The boy nodded and ran into the house but Martha opened the door, so he bumped into her.

“What’s the rush?” Martha placed hands on her hips.

“Baby needs a hammer!” He smiled.

“A hammer?” Martha was confused.

“Yeah, a hammer!” He nodded, “To un-crumple the metal!” He said repeating Hanako’s words.

“Go tell her she has to bring me some fresh towels and she’ll get her hammer!”

“Yes, Martha!” Little boy nodded and ran back to Hanako.

“Martha needs you!” He said.

“I heard her”, she said not getting distracted by that, as she was still focusing on repairing the runner.

“Do you want me to help you hold towels?”

“No”, she giggled as she patted child’s head, “I can do it by myself, thanks!”

Moving away from the runner and leaving children alone gathered around it, she went inside to find some new and fresh towels Martha asked for.

“She could’ve taken them by herself!” Hanako murmured to herself because she didn’t like the idea of getting interrupted in the middle of her work. The truth is she was running around the house, trying to keep everything in order; she even took care for Blitz, Rally, Nerve and Taka; was helping Saiga with his gadgets and making dinner for the kids but she wasn’t happy Martha interrupted her in the middle of her work because she had a hard time fixing Yusei’s runner. It was a hybrid like hers but it was built differently, it was nothing like the first runner that she and Yusei built 3 years ago. She had to get to know its structure better in order to proceed with fixing it and by researching that runner thoroughly; she managed to get to know Yusei’s soul better. She knew the way he things by the way he built the parts of his runner and she knew how he feels about his duelling just by looking at his engine. She realised how nothing has changed… He only got wiser, smarter and more grown up, that’s all; everything else was the same. Duelling programme, duel disk, screen design, pedals, accelerator… Everything was just like she remembers from almost three years ago when they finished Yusei’s first runner.

And to think she had to leave his runner for a while just to bring those towels to Martha… “I really don’t understand the way that woman thinks!” Hanako murmured again taking few towels from the bathroom, “She didn’t even say how many of them she needs…” So Hanako took four of them and went out to search for the room Martha was in.

* * *

Yusei was having a nightmare; seeing Kiryu and his Earthbound Immortal striking his runner and making him fall from it, crashing it into the ground, which made his body reacted to the fear residing inside of him causing his body to wake up.

“Where am I?” He looked around when pain stroke his lower part of belly, so he placed his hand on his abdomen moaning.

“Are you awake?” Martha came out of the curtain to see him.

“Martha? I…” He was trying to say something but Martha started talking again.

“You were hurt, so Crow brought you here”, she smiled because she was happy to see him awake.

“Crow?” Yusei was confused at first but then he remembered his duel with Kiryu, “I remember! Kiryu and I were…”

“The doctor said it was a miracle you got away with minor injuries only!”

Yusei was silent, looking through the window when he saw his red runner reassembled thinking about what could’ve happened to it because he was sure it was broken to the metal bone after that duel with Kiryu and left in the middle of the Satellite, so after seeing his surprised look, Martha explained what happened.

“Rally and others pushed it here!”

“Rally and others?”

“They all came down with a cold and Crow left quickly”, she added, “Hanako is doing all her best to repair that thing! That girl hasn’t sleep for more than 24 hours”, he shook her head, “So make sure to thank them all later!”

“Baby…?” He reacted after hearing her name from Martha.

“Yeah”, Martha nodded, “She came to see me after she got scared to wonder around Satellite in the middle of the night. Maybe you should look up to her sometimes, you know?!? She’s younger than all of you and more responsible than you ever were!”

“Where is she?”

“Should be here somewhere”, Martha shrugged, “That girl really doesn’t know when to quit. Just look at what she’s done in only two days with that thing!” She looked through the window but Yusei didn’t say a word, “You kids are so ungrateful!” She just ignored his reaction, “Once you learn how to talk, you push aside the parents who raised you so that you can focus on building those machines!” She was scolding Yusei giving him a hard time to speak up for himself, “Then you leave and go to dangerous places… I’m shocked speechless!” She looked at Yusei, who was listening to her words, “What’s your reason?”

“I was investigating why people from Satellite were vanishing”, he answered, “It has something to do with the former Momentum…”

“The former Momentum? But that area is dangerous. Can you handle it all by yourself?”

“I don’t know…” Yusei bowed his head while Martha was peeling some apple for him to eat.

“That’s not like you!” She said angrily, “If you can’t handle it alone, then why are you trying to do it all by yourself? Jack and Crow were raised as your brothers and Hanako is like a sister to you three! They can all help you!” She looked at Yusei, who was lost in his thoughts, “Besides, Hanako is really working hard on fixing that machine of yours without even asking her for assistance… Why don’t you want their help?”

Yusei was silent, still thinking about Martha’s words trying to rethink everything she just said.

“When you lived here, you were honest with your feelings and believed in your friends… Yusei, there are times when a man has to do impossible missions on his own. However, no matter how impossible the task, your friends will help you as long as you believe in what you’re doing!”

“Martha…” Her words finally touched his heart, “Thank you!”

“Listen, Yusei!” Martha added, “If you try to leave before your wounds heal, then I’ll pummel you!”

Yusei smiled to her reaction and looked at his signer mark, thinking about everything what she said, “Friends…” He murmured to himself.

“Now, where is that girl?” Martha was looking around not satisfied with something when Hanako placed her hand on the lock and opened the door without knocking assuming that Martha’s already expecting her but she had a hard time finding the room where Martha is, so she had to ask kids on her way up here.

“Martha, I brought you some fresh towels you asked for!” She bumped into the room shouting when she saw Martha holding a plate with apples and handing them to Yusei, who was sitting on his bed, shirtless with his abdomen covered in bandages. She froze in place when her eyes met his, as he was now looking at her distracted by the sound of her voice. His chest was tense, her right arm had some strange scar engraved into it and the marker on his face was trying to distract her from looking away from his eyes, but she couldn’t help but get lost in the blueness of them… She gulped, gazing into Yusei’s eyes feeling hypnotised by his appearance and he looked the same, only she didn’t realise it because she wasn’t paying attention to it.

“Yusei…” She murmured with her hands shaking, so she had to put some effort into holding towels in her hands, so they won’t fall out. It was the final moment she was waiting for but was still scared to talk to him, so she felt like running away but her legs wouldn’t move an inch. All she could do was just stand there with one hand on the lock, another holding the towels and her eyes focused on Yusei’s.

“Baby…?” He murmured back to her not believing his own eyes, as his body started shaking out of thrill and excitement for seeing her again in a long time and all he could think about right now was how all this could be just a beautiful and unreal dream he wasn’t trying to wake up from…


	10. The Black Rose Witch

7th Chapter

(following anime episodes 40 - 44)

**The Black Rose Witch**

Hanako’s body was shaking tremendously as she was now looking into Yusei’s eyes not knowing what to do. For the first time in years, she was so caught up by the moment where she wanted to run away without looking back… Yusei’s eyes were strongly focused on hers, so she was looking back at him giving her best to give back all of those sparkles from his eyes but the moment somehow lasted too long for her taste… Being hypnotised by the look in his eyes, she lost the track of the time and even though the moment they met lasted only few seconds, to her it was like a whole century; and the fact that Yusei wasn’t reacting to her at all, made her lost and confused.

“Baby, I…” Yusei finally spoke but then she started being afraid of what he might say to her and she couldn’t stand hearing the sound of his voice, so she decided to interrupt his intentions.

“I-I think… I’ll j-just… Leave these here!” She was very loud as her body started to panic; her hands were shaking, so she placed the towels onto the first shelf on the right just to sneak out of the room as soon as possible, “Here are your towels, Martha! I’ll have my hammer now and I’m outta here…” Everything she said went out in only one breath and faded quickly, so Yusei was just looking at her completely confused by her actions having a hard time to understand all her words; while she grabbed a hammer from the drawer and started moving out of the room when Martha shouted with her voice a bit disappointed.

“Baby, come back here!” She gave Yusei apples and looked at Hanako’s direction, “Now!!!”

Hanako didn’t want to make Martha angry, so she just sighed and got back to the room, “Y-yes, Martha…?” Standing on the front door, Hanako was waiting for Martha’s reaction while her body was shivering. Martha just smiled as she approached her take the towels from the shelf. She looked at Hanako’s frightened eyes, “I’ll leave you two to talk…” Martha exited the room shutting the door, leaving Hanako alone with only Yusei sitting on his bed across the room, so she gulped when she realised that. Yusei moved his look away and started gazing through the window to see how his is runner is doing and Hanako did the same, trying to meet the direction his eyes were pointing to while she was still standing next to the door.

"Crow said you wanted to talk to me", he whispered to break the silence with his voice was slightly embarrassed because being so wounded and in bed, not being able to protect her, was already too shameful for him.

"Yeah, I guess", she murmured keeping her head down.

"If it's about what happened to Jack and the duel between us, I can explain", he said calmly with his voice down.

"I understand", she whispered while her body was tense, "If I were you, I'd probably do the same…" Her words made Yusei look at her with a glance remembering how she was always the one to understand him the best but she kept whispering to herself loud enough for him to hear what she was blabbering about, "You got your Stardust back, didn't you? And it's all that matters... Reuniting with your most precious monster must be like..."

"Reuniting with you!" He whispered to himself changing the direction of his sight back to his runner that was placed in front of the House and thinking about how bad he wanted to see Hanako. She just ignored that fact that she heard his words but she couldn't hide her face from blushing and after realising how she won’t say a word now, Yusei decided to continue with his speech, "Jack's good, if you’re worried about him", Yusei answered calmly, "You must miss him so much".

"Yeah, I do! I always loved having him around", she said sustaining from showing her true emotions to Yusei, "His pride and strength somehow made me feel safe and protected..." She smiled at the thought but Yusei was still looking through the window so she had no idea what to do. She tried to imply to him what she had on her mind, “But Jack’s not the only one…”

“Yeah, Kiryu was there, too but now”, he tightened his fists not moving his head.

Hanako was angered by his words because no matter what she said, he just wouldn’t talk about his feelings and his life, so she had to change the way of approaching him, “Crow told me about the duel between you two!”

"I see..." He murmured without showing any signs of will to talk about what happened between him and Hanako two years ago, what made Hanako thinking about giving up from talking to him but then she remembered Martha's words and decided to gather all the strength she could just to say it first. She took a deep breath while concentrating on the words she’s about to say, so Yusei looked at her not knowing what she's trying to do as her breath made him move his head in her direction. She was distracted by the bright and deep blue look in his eyes, so she stopped breathing for a second blinking in confusion.

"What are you doing, Baby?"

She blinked few times before she started breathing again, "Trying to apologise!" She shouted quickly just to let it all out as soon as possible.

"Why?" He blinked back at her confused by her words.

"Because I left two years ago..." She bowed her head with feelings of guilt.

"Oh, about that..." He moved his look away again, gazing through the window. It was like he knew that they both feel the same way about it but in the end he wanted to be the first one to talk it all out, "It's not your fault. I'm the one to blame…"

"Yusei, I..."

"I know, Baby, I'm sorry. If I didn't back down after coming to Daedaus Bridge, we would've never been apart!" He looked at his hands, "I'm sorry I let you down..."

"If I was brave enough to talk to you after I heard guys talking about it like that... None of this would've happened..."

"It's not your fault, Baby!"

“There you go again! It’s not your fault but mine! Just accept my apology!” The anger grew stronger inside of her.

“Baby, I’m sorry… I should’ve…”

“No! Look at yourself, you idiot!” Hanako’s emotions took control of her body, “Escaping from Satellite to Neo Domino, ending up in the Facility, heavily wounded by some Black Rose Witch in the Fortune Cup and almost killed by a duel with Kiryu and…” Hanako was approaching Yusei’s bed as she was moving her hands around and shouting angrily so all of her emotions finally reached the surface, “Oh, save it for my toolbox, Yusei! I’m not around for a year or two and you’re already getting yourself into so much trouble!”

He was stunned by her words, so he decided to keep his mouth shut as he had nothing to say in return. She was right, leaving Satellite caused all the problems he encountered in the last few weeks and it was all because he wanted his Stardust Dragon back.

"I should've taken care for you", she shook her head trying to scold herself with tears now rolling down her face, "I left your side and..." She was now standing next to his bed, feeling guilty and responsible for everything that happened to Yusei, “You even got marked!” She reached his face with her hand and was gently touching the yellow marker on his cheek; she was over flown by her feelings now relieved that she managed to let it all out, so she just took a deep breath and exhaled closing her eyes because Yusei placed the palm of his hand onto her cheek and gently wiped her tears away. She was concentrating on Yusei’s touch; it was gentle and smooth… Slowly moving away the tears, he kept the palm of his hand on her cheek, so she could feel the warmth of his hand. When she opened her eyes, she saw him looking at her like he was sorry for everything that happened and his eyes were somehow crying out for forgiveness. His look made her calm down, so she just sighed in relief, “Who am I kidding?!?” She shook her head, “I’m just glad you’re alright…” She murmured with all her emotions now completely thrown out of her soul, so she felt blank and empty inside.

“Guys told me what happened”, Yusei smiled, “You misheard their conversation and they said what they were talking about. That’s why you stopped coming!” He was looking at her and she could feel the happiness inside of him, “I’m really sorry, Baby! They can be reckless at times…”

“Yeah”, she started with a smile, “I’m just glad it’s all over now!”

“Me too”, he nodded as he moved his hands away from her, so she focused her eyes onto his body remembering everything that happened and after she realised what just happened because her body came out of shock, she smiled with her hands now wide open as she threw herself on Yusei, wrapping her arms around his chest and resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Argh! Baby, it hurts", he groaned when he felt a hard strike to his abdomen, as his wound still didn't heal well.

"Don’t you ever scare me like that again!" She whispered.

He placed his hand on her head playing with her hair and moving her body away from him, "It's no use, huh?"

"What?"

"I failed you, Baby", he smiled, "I made you worry again!"

“I missed you so much!” She jumped happily trying to ignore his sentence because she wanted to forget that she almost lost him forever.

“Say, that’s your runner outside?” He pointed to her Trishula-like D-Wheel that was parked next to his.

“Yes! I had some help with the engine but the design is entirely my idea!” She smiled like a child proud of her little creation.

“It looks good”, he nodded, “I’d like to see it, if you don’t mind!”

“Sure thing! But you need to rest first!”

“Oh, don’t mind me! I’ll be like new in no time”, he answered but she didn’t believe him!

“Yeah!” She slightly kicked his shoulder with her fist, “You’re a big and strong guy!” She smiled as he screamed in pain because she kicked him. She did it on purpose just to make sure he’s not lying but her intuition was right, he was just playing tough.

“See, I told you!” He laughed joking about it with his hand still placed on his abdomen.

“You’ll never change”, Hanako shook her head.

“I met some friend in Neo Domino City”, he suddenly changed the subject.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’d like you to meet them!” He smiled.

“I’d love to”, she clapped with her hands.

“Rua and Ruka will love you”, he said looking at her, “They are still kids, twins… I think you’ll enjoy their company!”

“Cool! I still don’t have any twins in my children collection”, she giggled and her words made Yusei laugh.

“You really like those kids!”

“Well… Ever since…” She saddened her face remembering how Pearson died almost three years ago but when she skipped that information, Yusei decided not to ask about what happened knowing that she’s still not ready to talk about it, “I just want to show them that they don’t need Neo Domino City to be good! I want them to show their full potential and enjoy living in Satellite as much as possible… Life is hard enough and you know how it goes…”

“Yeah”, Yusei nodded, “You’re doing an amazing job, Baby”, he tried to cheer her up.

“You think so?”

“Look at them”, he looked outside the window and she did the same when she saw kids playing around Yusei’s runner giggling and laughing out loud, “I’m sure that that smile wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for you and Crow!” His words made Hanako blush a bit but she was embarrassed to talk about herself, so she tried to change the subject.

“What happened in Neo Domino, Yusei? Is it really that good living there?”

“You’d be disappointed”, he said, “It’s too loud and crowded with people only thinking about their selves”, he murmured.

“I get it… Maybe every big city is like that…” She whispered.

“Who knows”, he looked at her, “But I met Jack and Yanagi, Saiga, Rua, Ruka…”

“You’ll really never change”, she giggled, “If I sent you to the Moon, you’d be making friends there, too!”

“I guess I can’t help it”, Yusei laughed, “But I’m pretty worried about one of them…” He whispered looking at his birthmark.

“Is it that girl from Fortune Cup?”

“Izayoi, yes”, Yusei nodded, “She’s really scary at first but I sensed goodness inside of her and I tried to reach her heart but…”

“What happened?”

“She shut herself inside and that Divine is controlling her emotions and her thoughts”, Yusei explained.

“Oh, I see”, she was deeply thinking about it, “But I’m sure you’ll be able to make friends with her! It’s you we’re talking about!”

“I’m not sure about it”, Yusei bowed his head.

“Is she a Signer like you?”

“Yeah”, he nodded, “Do you know about Signers?”

“Crow told me everything that happened”, she explained.

“Yeah, I almost forgot about him”, he smiled and started telling Hanako about how he met Crow on the junkyard and about his duel with Jack; he also told her how he finally found the strength inside of him. He started trusting his cards and his deck, giving his best in a duel no matter what the outcome. Hanako was amazed by his strength and how he grew stronger both emotionally and physically. Both of them talked for hours as their laugh started spreading around the room while they tried to catch up for whole two years that they were separated. They remembered how similar they are at a lot of things and yet how they have so much in common even though they don’t always agree on the subject…

Soon afternoon came to an end and Hanako had to go help Martha with dinner leaving Yusei alone to rest after he promised to her that they will work on their runners as soon as he gets out of the bed…

Yusei was recovering pretty fast, so he was able to be outside repairing his runner with Hanako’s help.

“If I remember correctly, the damage on my runner was worse than I see it here”, he smiled looking at Hanako and waiting for her reaction.

“Yeah, because…” She was shy to say what she did to it, _“I’m so stupid for thinking he wouldn’t notice it”_ , she thought to herself.

“You don’t have to be so shy, Baby”, he was still looking at her, “Martha told me what you did!”

“Yeah… I didn’t know how to finish it ‘til the end though”, she murmured, embarrassed because he figured it out.

“You couldn’t or simply didn’t want to?” Yusei raised an eyebrow when Hanako blushed, keeping her hands behind her back and scratching the ground with her foot.

“I… I just wanted you to finish it by yourself…”

“You haven’t changed at all”, Yusei shrugged but he didn’t look disappointed by that fact.

“I just do what I do best”, she smiled looking at his runner when she placed her hand on it, “You did a great job here! She’s a real beauty!” She whispered, “I really like its design and that acceleration chip is awesome!”

“Yeah, I’m just glad it wasn’t destroyed”, he nodded.

“Me too”, she smiled.

“Hey, Baby”, he whispered, “Would you like to test it with me when I’m done?”

“You bet!” She clapped with her hands happily and wanted to say something to Yusei when someone interrupted their conversation.

“Yo, mech-freaks, what’s up?”

“Saiga?” Hanako turned to him while Yusei remained silent.

“I’ll just make myself comfortable here”, he pulled a chair and sat down turning on his laptop, so Hanako ran to him to see what he’s doing when she realised how Yusei was now deeply into his work of repairing his runner and probably doesn’t need her help now.

“What’s that?” She asked leaning towards Saiga to see the screen on his laptop.

“I’m trying to investigate Arcadia Movement, as Yusei told me”, he said with a serious expression on his face.

“Arcadia? Isn’t that the organisation that Aki is from?”

“Yeah, you know them?”

“No but Yusei told me about it...”

“Wait, you don’t watch news on TV?”

“I prefer reading better”, she whispered, so Saiga was confused looking at her like she fell from another planet when she continued, “That Aki girl is also a Signer and a psychic duellist, right?”

“Yeah…” Saiga looked worried.

“Hey, Saiga…” She murmured like she didn’t want Yusei to hear her, “Is she really that dangerous?”

“I think so! She dealt Yusei a real damage and hurt him in their duel”, Saiga explained, so Hanako couldn’t help but think about if she means something more to Yusei than just a Signer or ally, so she turned her look back at Yusei’s runner. He was making finishing touches to the D-Wheel, testing his tire spins when Saiga picked up his laptop and approached Yusei, so Hanako was jumping behind him, following his steps.

“It would seem that you’re finally back in action here”, Saiga smiled while Hanako leaned behind his back to see what Yusei’s doing with hands behind her back.

“Ah, the D-Wheel you mean?” Yusei asked looking a bit spaced out.

Saiga was looking at him and thinking about how Yusei still hasn’t recovered, _“Right… You yourself still aren’t!”_

Hanako was just looking at Yusei seeing his sad and somehow frightened eyes but she wanted him to tell her himself what was bothering him, she never tried insisting on it because she knew just what kind of a person he is, _“He’ll talk about it when he’s ready”,_ she thought.

“How did it go?” Yusei finally spoke but his question was meant for Saiga.

“It seems like your hunch was right”, Saiga nodded.

 _“Yeah, he’s hunch is always right…”_ Hanako’s thought made her put her hands on her hips shaking her head while she listened to Saiga’s words.

“The Dark Signers came to Neo Domino City. This building here is the Arcadia Movement’s headquarters”, he showed the screen from his laptop to Yusei, who now seemed worried because he asked Saiga to search for Arcadia movement and investigate what happened to Izayoi Aki.

“So, Izayoi was assaulted by them?”

“Izayoi?” Hanako asked but Yusei didn’t say anything, so Hanako started thinking about it, _“It’s that girl he was telling me about… It must be her but…”_

“Appears so. I heard she was taken to the hospital”, Saiga answered calmly looking at Yusei, “Are you worried? As a fellow Signer – as a friend?” He asked like he read Hanako’s mind.

“Friend…” Yusei murmured looking at his birthmark and thinking about Kiryu and the duel they had. He couldn’t believe how his good friend turned into a Dark Signer and turned his back on him… And to Yusei, it was all his own fault that Kiryu died and was revived like that; he ended up in jail and lost his life cursing Yusei for betraying him but it was all just because of a misunderstanding and to come think of it, he now looked at Hanako, who was still watching him and his runner a bit confused by the whole situation, _“It was just like with her, too”,_ Yusei thought to himself, _“Misunderstanding almost took her away from me and…”_

“Yusei”, Hanako murmured worriedly putting her hands together like she was praying for his life.

“As I am, I couldn’t possibly help Izayoi…” He murmured to himself and his words made Hanako angry but just when she opened her mouth to start scolding him, a strong wind started messing around with her hair, so she looked up while all three of them tried to stand in place not to fall or lose balance as the wind grew stronger.

A grey helicopter started spreading its sound through the woods while landing down to them, so Hanako wondered who it could be… A tall bearded man walked out of the helicopter introducing himself as a senator in Neo Domino City, Mister Izayoi Hideo, Aki’s father.

Hearing his words, Hanako ran to Martha immediately reporting to her what happened and how they have a guest in the House. Martha started preparing some tea and coffee right away while Yusei and Saiga accompanied Hideo inside, straight into the dining room where they all sat down and talked.

“What brings you here, sir?” Hanako asked curiously when she walked in with Martha by her side.

“I came to ask Yusei for help”, he bowed his head.

“So, what exactly can I do for you?” Yusei asked looking at the man suspiciously.

“I want you to save my daughter! To save Aki!” He looked back at Yusei while Martha was placing a cup of coffee right in front of him.

“To save her?” Hanako raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah”, he said, “Right now, Aki is in a coma with no signs of her regaining… She’s completely unconscious…”

Yusei was surprised and his eyes widened after hearing his words, so Hanako looked at him trying to figure out what he’s thinking about.

 _“I knew it”,_ Yusei thought _, “She must have fought a Dark Signer!”_ But he still remained silent, so Aki’s father started his story like he was trying to convince Yusei to do it either way.

“We’re her parents, yet… We can’t do anything! We are unable to save her!” He started shouting in desperation with his eyes closed, so Martha got angry.

“Will you just calm down?!? If you don’t explain the situation rationally, we won’t know what’s goin’ on!” She kept her serving plate in her hands, so Hanako got worried she’ll punch that man in the face but she just stepped back as Aki’s father moved his head beginning with his story.

“It was our fault that our daughter ended up this way…” He stopped for a moment like something crossed his mind, “No, it was my fault only! I thought I was doing everything what’s in my power but…” He gave one situation as an example where Aki had her birthday and asked him to be there with her but he had a meeting, an appointment he had to attend and couldn’t do anything about it. Thinking about how he’ll make it in time, he went on the meeting but when he got back home, it was already too late and Aki fell asleep next to the table waiting for him. She never touched her birthday cake as she got tired of waiting, “I apologised for everything what happened and took her to her bed and the deck she’s using now… It was my gift for her that I left on the shelf that night…” Hideo was now terrified by his actions continuing with his story how he had to leave for an important job next morning… He was planning on being away from home for a month but Aki ran down the stairs and asked him to duel, as he promised her so… And to think he’ll be repeating the same mistake from just the day before! He had to reject her and leave but Aki insisted being hurt by his actions.

“Hey, there!” Hanako crossed her hands, “How can you act like that?!? It’s your own daughter!”

“Baby, you don’t even know how it’s like to have kids”, Saiga shrugged.

“I do! I have my kids that I need to protect and this man is doing everything but that!” She pointed her finger to Hideo shouting in anger and frustration.

“Baby, calm down!” Yusei said calmly keeping his hands crossed and sitting across mister Hideo, who was now keeping his head bowed.

“She’s right… Wrapped in the busy life of a senator, the time that I could share with Aki was limited! Despite that”, Hideo looked up again, “I tried my hardest to spend time with Aki, no matter how brief!”

“Liar!” Hanako murmured because she didn’t like the energy and aura she was getting from him, so she started talking to herself in her thoughts, _“He seemed like a bad guy and I didn’t like it at all… But he really looks like he’s sorry for everything he’s done and maybe he can change… I just hope it’s not too late…”_

“I finally had time, so we were having a duel, just as Aki wanted”, Hideo continued but Hanako stopped him in the middle.

“And let me guess”, she was tapping the floor with her foot keeping her hands crossed, while she was standing next to Yusei, “You got interrupted again?”

“That’s right! My telephone rang and I had to leave again…”

“What happened then?” Yusei’s eyes were worried because he somehow knew Aki’s heart even though they don’t know each other for too long.

“She activated the effect of Rose Flame card and what happened next was…” Hideo started shaking.

“Psychic powers?” Hanako shivered in fear, as she was now taken down by Aki’s fears that somehow started resonating with her heart after coming out of Hideo’s body and attacking her soul directly.

“Yeah”, he answered, “Fire started burning around me and I got kicked with a rose tentacle, making me groan in pain… And that’s when her birthmark showed on her arm. She was scared and was shaking in fear. She started walking towards me calling for a father but…”

“Oh, my wrenches… What did you do?” Hanako asked all shivering.

“I… I called her a… monster”, Hideo murmured ashamed of himself with his hands placed on the table while Yusei was hurt by his words as he could feel what Aki felt long ago while she was a child, “That was the one word I regret ever saying…” He was shaking and looking at the table, all out of himself but soon everyone was taken to reality when Hanako placed her hands on the table making it shake.

“You… You monster! How could you?!?” Hanako started crying as she wasn’t able to stop her emotions. She was hurt by his words and felt sorry for Aki because she was just a child back then. Hanako couldn’t even imagine how one of her kids would feel like if she did the same thing to one of them, “You can’t treat children like that! They are a blessing in life! They are lost and get hurt easily, they don’t know how hard a life can be and they need all the protection they can get!” She was still crying all her pain away, “It’s not like everyone’s perfect because we are not! And life is sometimes full of knobs and cracks but having someone by your side who can understand you and be there for you is something that you need the most and because of people like that, your life isn’t that bad in the end and when you realise it, you start to cherish it until the very end!”

Yusei was listening to Hanako’s words and remembering what they’ve been through and how they grew up on the streets. She was afraid and scared, frightened by the night on the streets of Satellite and was always asking for protection, so Jack, he and Crow were always there for her. They protected her no matter what because living and growing without parents isn’t easy at all… Especially when you have nowhere to run and no one to keep an eye on you. To him, Hanako was a precious friend and a little girl who he liked being with and in time, she learnt to accept herself for who she is, she started smiling every single day and she realised how helping others is her mission in this life and now… After two years when they met again, she stopped being that little girl that was always crying and seeking for a protection; she grew up into a strong and independent woman, who doesn’t need his protection anymore. He was so stunned by the way she grew up and how she was taking care for all those kids with Crow. And now, instead of protecting her, he could only stand back and watch, trying to learn something from her, following her example.

“I didn’t know how to help Aki. With those terrifying powers…” Hideo’s words moved Yusei away from his thoughts, “I didn’t know how to… So I returned with the same level… I hit her…” Mister Hideo was regretting everything he’s done while he felt so hard to say all those words out loud. He even forced Aki to go to the Duel Academia but she wasn’t happy because, being different from others, she was isolated and discarded by other kids from school, “One day… She got back to see us and I will never forget that look in her eyes. Seeing us happy, enjoying ourselves while she’s not around... She used her powers to destroy our house and flee away, so we never saw her again… That’s when she was taken in by the Arcadia Movement!”

“You…” Hanako groaned at him but she just backed away realising how shouting won’t do any help at all.

“Aki’s heart is completely shut and my voice can’t reach her!” Hideo explained.

“But…” Yusei finally talked, “The way I am now, I don’t think I can save her…”

“Please!!!” Hideo screamed in frustration putting his hands on Yusei’s, “I heard from Jack Atlas!”

“Jack?” Hanako was shocked.

“He told me that, since you tried to save her at the Fortune Cup, you could definitely rescue Aki now!”

“But like I said”, Yusei moved his look away, “I don’t think there’s much I can do…”

“I beg of you, Yusei!!!”

“Yusei!” Martha raised her voice with his hands on her hips, “The adult is pleading with you. Go ahead and help him!” She leaned to Yusei moving Hanako away, so she can approach him, “You’re afraid of Kiryu, aren’cha? No, you’re afraid of facing another one of your friends!” She looked angry, “What’s the point in friends if you can’t face them?”

“Holding a grudge against Kiryu won’t get me anywh-” Yusei started looking for excuses, so Martha walked to him passing next to Hanako and moving her aside.

“Excuse me, Baby! This little boy needs a treatment!” She pulled Yusei’s ear hard, so he started groaning with his teeth clutched, “Child, can’t take a hint, can’ya? Right now, you’ve got the door to your heart all closed up! And the ones who can open the door are your friends, aren’t they? Being with your friends will knock on that door!”

Yusei’s eyes widened as he was now thinking about Martha’s words.

“And once you hear the sound, that door could also open! But first you need to face your friends, am I right?”

Yusei smiled and nodded but there was still something that was bothering him.

“Yusei, you like this Aki girl, don’cha?” Martha smiled when she saw a smile on Yusei’s face.

“No, you got it all wro-” He tried to defend while Hanako was giggling after seeing his desperate actions of trying to deny the theory Martha exclaimed.

“No need to be so shy, now!” Martha placed her hand on Yusei’s shoulder, “Get out there ‘n nab your future wife!”

“No, wait a minute, Martha!” Yusei was out of his control now holding his fists tight while Martha and Saiga burst out laughing. Hanako looked at Yusei being worried now for him and also thinking whether he really likes that girl or not. His reaction made her change her mind, so she was confused not knowing in what to believe.

“Good one, Martha!” Saiga giggled, “Not even Yusei could handle that one!”

“Excuse me!” Yusei walked out of the room.

“Hey, wait!” Hideo tried to reach for Yusei with his hand but he already left the room.

“Look white you’ve done now, Martha!” Hanako slightly moved Martha away and started walking in Yusei’s direction.

“Is he going to save my daughter or…?” Hideo was afraid and terrified at the same time.

“I’ll go talk to him!” Hanako had a serious face and pouted her lips keeping her fists closed, “You will get your daughter back, sir! Don’t worry!” She looked at Martha and Saiga judging them with her eyes and left to see Yusei. Martha and Saiga looked through the window to catch Hanako’s character, as she approached Yusei from behind.

“Do you think he’ll be able to help Aki?” Hideo asked Martha looking at Yusei, who was now standing next to his runner and looking up at the sky.

“He will… There’s no doubt about it!” She said with a disappointed look on her face, “But maybe I was the one to misjudge his heart…” She murmured as she was looking at Hanako and Yusei talking to each other.

Hanako was walking slowly behind Yusei’s back thinking about how to start a conversation with him after everything that Martha said, “You know, Yusei…” She started waiting for his reaction before she continued with her sentence, “I was afraid of you when we were kids”, she giggled at the thought thinking how it was so stupid but back then she really felt that way. It was because of that first day they met when she was transferred to the House at Martha’s after her parents passed away. She was discarded by other kids because of her strange behaviour, so she was always alone, playing with tools and gears in the corner of the room or in the woods all by herself until he approached her to see what she’s doing. He never smiled and always looked serious, so she thought he was a pretty strange kid just like her, so she started trusting him but after they grew up, he became a part of Kiryu’s gang: Team Satisfaction. They ruled Satellite trying to become the best gang and take over every duel area in the city… So she saw him as a pretty scary and tough person that was completely different form that kid she always hanged out with. She was still thinking about the past when Yusei turned to her and looked at her character from her toes up to her eyes raising an eyebrow.

“Really?”

“Yeah”, she was still smiling at the thought of it, “But now when I think about it, I think it was Kiryu’s fault”, she approached him and was now standing right next to him, looking at the woods. She could’ve feel how his body started shivering after she spelled Kiryu’s name.

“He was like a brother to me”, he whispered.

“I know”, she smiled, “But it’s all behind us now, Yusei! You can’t change what happened, you know? Why don’t you just raise your head up, take a deep breath and enjoy the moments that are given to you?” She moved her look from the woods concentrating to his eyes, “The opportunity to be right here and right in this moment will never be given to you again…”

“Baby, how can I enjoy living my life after Zero reverse took so many lives?”

“Oh, so there we are… This isn’t just about Kiryu, is it?”

“Kiryu’s only a pawn in this game… This is all because of that Momentum that my father built!”

“Yusei! Do we really have to talk about it all over again?” She crossed her hands looking at him angrily, “How many times do I have to tell you the same thing?!? Don’t tell me you still feel responsible for what happened…”

“I just can’t ignore the guilt inside my heart”, he murmured like he was embarrassed that he’s still alive, trying to avoid the eye contact.

“C’mon, Yusei!” She looked at him, leaning forward to the ground and raising her look to meet his eyes, as his head was bowed down, so she just peeked to his sight, “Do you really think it’s your fault?”

“Baby, you know what happened…”

“Exactly!” She shouted, “And your parents had nothing to do with it!” She tried to be strict, “The Momentum sure didn’t start the negative rotation because you were born, dummy!”

“But…” He was persistent but Hanako refused to give up.

“Yusei! None of us had a possibility to choose their life! We can’t control when or where we will be born or who are parent will be…” She placed her hand on her chest, “The negative rotation of the Momentum was meant to happen and not you or your father could’ve done something to stop it! Thinking how your birth had something to do with it is against any law of physics and you know it very well!”

“I know but…”

“There are no _buts,_ Yusei!” She lost the track, so she slightly kicked the ground with her foot, “Fear is what defines us but it’s just residing in our mind!” She reached with her hand and placed her finger on his forehead just above his left eye.

“How do you know I’m afraid?!?” he was caught up by her words and his eyes widened.

“After so many years of hanging around with you, I’d be a real disappointment if I didn’t know you, Yusei…”

“I’m lost, Baby…”

“You’re lost because you let the fear be your guide!” She moved her hand to his chin so that she can move his head in order to look at his eyes, “We are just mortals, Yusei! We all make good and bad decisions and it’s completely normal! In the end, we’re just human beings…”

Yusei was looking at her trying to think over everything she said when he felt something on his chest. It was Hanako’s hand; she placed it to his heart not even realising it, so he had no idea how to react to that, as she was now very close to him almost leaning her body onto his.

“Here, Yusei”, Hanako pushed his chest where his heart should be, “Here lies the key to our greatest strength! Our secret and ultimate weapon!” She moved her hand to his forehead again, “What’s residing in your mind can come easy and go even easier. Why don’t you let your fear turn into your strength rather than to accept it as your weakness? Why don’t you just accept it, acknowledge it and let it turn into your best virtue and your greatest strength?” She placed her hand on his chest again, “The greatest strength that lies dormant inside your heart!” Hanako gave him a smile when she realised he was confused by her words, “Once you wish for something from the bottom of your heart and let it guide you, there’s nothing you can’t do, Yusei! Let the past be what it really is: the past! So leave it all behind, that’s where it belongs!”

“Baby, I…” He whispered trying to make a sentence to return the words back to her but he couldn’t find anything to say to her, so he just moved her closer to him and hugged her tight, so she placed her hand on his chest listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

“And stop blaming yourself for that stupid incident! Even if you turn back time, there’s nothing you could do to change it!” Hanako wrapped Yusei around his waist, “And I don’t want to argue about this with you ever again, am I clear?”

“Don’t worry”, he whispered, “I promise we won’t!”

Hanako sighed in relief moving her body away from his embrace, “I swear someone should kick your ass so hard you’d fall out of that fears of yours and concentrate on the future and saving the world!” She placed her hands on her hips trying to scold Yusei but he was just looking at her confused while she sighed in disbelief, “Where’s Jack when you need him?”

“Why?”

“He was the only one who knew how to kick your ass that hard”, she explained and her words made Yusei smile.

“There”, she pointed to his smile, “Now show that smile to Aki and bring her back safe!” She gave him a smile but sadness still remained lying on her face when she saw Izayoi Hideo leaving the House and coming to see them. Yusei turned to him and nodded, giving him a sign that he’ll be going now with him to rescue his daughter but when he saw Hanako again, she looked sad.

“Is something the matter, Baby?”

“Nothing, it’s just… I finally found you after two years and you’re already leaving me…”

“I’m not leaving, Baby! I’m going out there, so that I can come back in”, he smiled.

“Promise?” She smiled placing her hands behind her back.

“Promise”, he nodded boarding the helicopter when she called for his name again, so he turned to see her.

Hanako was keeping her look down, so he approached her and that made her look up into his eyes, “Do you think I can make Aki smile again if you manage to open her heart?”

“I don’ think that”, he placed his hand under Hanako’s chin, “I’m sure of it!” He gave her a smile and placed his hand behind her neck, pulling her closer to him and gently planting a kiss on her forehead, “There’s no person in this world that wouldn’t smile back at you!” He left her alone boarding the helicopter while she was completely hypnotised by his actions; blinking in confusion trying to realise what just happened, as she was waving at him watching the helicopter leave Satellite…


	11. Reunion with Jack

8th Chapter

(following anime episodes 44 and 45)

**Reunion with Jack**

It’s been a while since Yusei left Satellite, so Hanako tried to occupy herself with some other things just not to think about him, as it made her very impatient. She knew he’s putting his life into danger and that Aki’s psychic powers might actually kill him and it just made it all worse, so she surrounded herself with kids, occasionally checking her runner and giving finishing touches to Yusei’s red one, as she now knew exactly what to do with it and how Yusei wanted it to look like. Yusei-GO, what a weird name for a runner, was what crossed her mind, while she was tightening some screws on the red D-Wheel when she heard someone’s voice calling for her.

“I knew I’ll find you here”, Saiga smiled peeking from behind Yusei’s runner, so Hanako raised her head.

“Oh, Saiga”, she smiled, “You’re still here”, she murmured but to Saiga it didn’t seem like a question but he decided to explain himself either way.

“Yeah, I fell in love with Martha’s cooking”, he smiled.

“Ah, I get it”, she giggled, “Martha is an amazing woman!”

“Just like you!”

“I’m still just a girl, Saiga”, she whispered, “I can’t do much!”

“I wouldn’t say that”, he sat next to her opening his laptop, “Just look at those runners. To think how you managed to build yours all by yourself makes me wonder if you’re even human!” He laughed.

“No, I fell from the Moon”, she giggled.

“Well… It’s almost like I could believe that”, he said as he started searching through some articles.

“Do you have any news about Aki?”

“Well… Here it says she was saved by a man, who brought her to the hospital…”

“Really?” Hanako jumped just to see the article, “Jack?!?”

“Yeah, looks like he found her unconscious in that building and saved her life!”

“Jack is a real hero”, Hanako smiled thinking about him.

“Oh, really?” Saiga didn’t try to hide his surprise, “I thought he was just a jerk…”

“He’s not! In fact, he’s a real gentleman!” Hanako raised a finger pointing to the sky; she borrowed that gesture from Crow, “You’ll see once you get to know him better!”

“Can’t wait…” Saiga rolled his eyes while the tone of his voice was ironically teasing Hanako.

“Oh, c’mon, Saiga! Don’t tell me you really believe everything people say about him!?!”

“Well… You can’t blame the newspaper!”

“Books are so much better”, she sighed.

“Look at this!” Saiga shouted, “It says that Aki was just being used by Divine. Apparently he wanted to make an army of psychic duellists just to start a war with the world!”

“Poor girl”, Hanako whispered covered in sadness, “And to think she’s my age”, she remembered how Yusei told her a lot about Izayoi Aki.

“Right! And she was one of the best Divine had in his sleeve!”

“Saiga, isn’t that supposed to be top secret information?” Hanako realised how Saiga has an access to some really serious and detailed information about an hidden organisation like Arcadia Movement.

“Yeah but I hacked the system and connected with Sector Security!”

“Oh, great”, she slapped her face, “Yusei leaves my side and then I get another hacker to keep me company…”

“Get used to it!” Saiga laughed.

“I’m trying”, she said calmly, “Anyways, what else have you found?”

“Not much”, just a list of kids that were tested by Divine, “That man was sick!”

“Was?”

“Yeah, apparently he died along with that building!”

“Well… That explains her state”, Hanako said with saddened tone of her voice.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… I guess it’s a girl thing. You see…”, she moved her hands, “I figured out from Yusei’s story that Aki saw a salvation in Divine because he promised to her to be there to guide her and to protect her. To think for her and to love her just the way she is…”

“So?” Saiga was confused.

“You really don’t get it?” Hanako was disappointed when Saiga shrugged, so she tried to explain it in more detail, “Divine was the first one in Aki’s life to accept her for who she is! If Divine is dead and if she lost a person like that, she must’ve been very hurt and damaged. I don’t want to even think about what she could do to Yusei if he doesn’t think straight!”

“You think he’ll lose to her?”

“No but he might lose to himself!” She whispered.

“Let’s just hope you’re wrong”, Saiga said.

“Well… I don’t usually want to be wrong but this time I’m praying for it!” She looked at Saiga before she returned to her runner.

“Going somewhere?” Saiga raised an eyebrow.

“No, I just…” She looked at her runner with sadness covering her face. Saiga figured out she can’t finish her sentence, so he thought it’d be better to leave her alone.

“You know what, Baby? I’ll leave you for now”, he smiled, “If you need me, you know where to find me!”

“Yeah, tasting Martha’s kitchen”, she giggled, so Saiga just sent her a wink and entered the House.

Left all alone, Hanako exhaled and closed her eyes when Yusei’s pictures showed inside of her mind, _“I wonder if everything’s going to be OK”,_ she thought to herself. She knew that Yusei is very strong-minded and that conversation they had somehow made him rethink about his action but she couldn’t help herself but worry because of the possible outcome of his battle with Izayoi. Hanako knew how that so called Black Rose Witch is very dangerous but if Yusei sensed a goodness in her and is willing to risk his life just to bring that goodness out of her, all that’s left for Hanako is to just sit back and wait, believing in Yusei. She decided she’ll be fixing and improving Yusei’s runner until he comes back just so that hours can pass faster… Her thoughts started flowing through and as Hanako heard a _beep_ sound coming from her runner, her thoughts suddenly disappeared.

When Hanako reached for her runner, she pushed a button and Crow’s face showed up on the screen, “Crow?” Hanako was confused and surprised at the same time.

“Yo, Baby, what’s up?”

“You first!” She smiled nervously.

“Ah, I checked the kids, they are alright!”

“I’m so happy to hear that!”

“Yup, but they miss you too much”, he scratched the back of his neck, “So I told them you’re too busy collecting gifts for them!”

“Crow, you can’t say that!!!” Hanako got angry, “They will be disappointed when I get back!”

“That was the best I could do”, he tried to defend himself.

“Oh, cracks… You can’t spoil our kids like that!”

“I’m sorry, Baby! I just can’t find a better way to keep the smile on their faces… I’m not Pearson!”

“Crow, I didn’t mean…” She got caught by her emotions, as her words now hurt Crow’s feelings but his intentional payback with bringing Pearson back to their conversation made it even worse, “You can’t compare yourself to Pearson!”

“You’re right! I’m just a criminal, anyway…” He murmured.

“It’s not what I meant!” She shouted.

“You just said it yourself”, he whispered to himself moving his head away, so Hanako saw a strange surroundings on the screen.

“Where are you, anyway?” She became curious but she also wanted to move their conversation away from Pearson.

“I’m investigating something…”

“Oh, I see…” She was embarrassed by the conversation they had, as she felt guilty for making Crow feel like he’s useless.

“Don’t worry… I just wanna help Yusei!” He smiled just to move away that awkwardness between them.

“Yeah, I get it”, she murmured, “We all do…”

Silence broke into their conversation and Hanako had no idea what else to say to Crow while he was just standing there and looking at her; trying to find right words to say but it was all in vain, as the silence grew stronger between them.

“Hey, Baby!” Crow decided to break the silence, “I’m going to fight Dark Signers and show them how strong I am!”

“Just be careful, Crow”, she whispered worriedly, as she saw Crow all hyped about the battle, being proud of himself for being the strong and powerful duellist.

“You don’t have to-” Crow tried to say something when Hanako’s screen was interrupted and all she could see was just a splash of grey strings running all over her runner’s monitor.

“Hey, wait! Crow!” She placed both of her hands on the screen, as she was calling for Crow’s name but their connection broke and the screen got blank, “Crow!” She tried to call for him once again but nothing happened and just before she tried to turn on her runner again, she felt a life-threatening force covering her body, so she raised her head. When she looked up at the sky, she saw a purple fog covering the Satellite while screams of people were spreading through the city like plague. The sight she saw was terrible, as the fog started coming from Daedalus Bridge and it was slowly moving towards the centre of Satellite completely covering the city, “Oh, no…” Hanako whispered in fear, as she was looking the scene in horror, “I have to warn Martha about this!” She murmured to herself and ran into the House to report what just happened in Satellite.

* * *

Izayoi Aki was sitting in the dining room and looking through the window thinking about everything that happened. She was in a coma but soon Yusei came and they had a duel in which he managed to reach her heart and she finally accepted her family for who they are and forgave them for the treatment they were giving her during her childhood. Soon after that, she was transferred to a room with a huge screen where Miss Mikage revealed her the secret of Arcadia Movement; Divine was just using her for her powers, as he wanted to create an army of duellist to conquer the world. She started thinking about her feelings she gathered towards Divine and everything Yusei said to her, when she heard some steps approaching her.

“Aki…” Yusei said with his voice worried.

“I’m glad nonetheless”, she murmured like she knew what Yusei’s thinking about, “Divine accepted me. Even if he was trying to use my powers; his existence was invaluable to me”, she gathered her hands into fists and groaned whispering to herself with all those mixed feelings now covering her mind and her soul.

“I understand”, Yusei answered, what made Aki look up to meet his eyes, “That’s fine. I’m not going to reject you. I have no right to deny anyone but…” He was serious but the tone of his voice remained calm and warm, “The one thing I am sure of is that there are people that will trust you and who need you now!”

“Yusei…” His words made her heart beat faster and she managed to smile after it’s been a while since she even thought about being happy.

“We’re friends!” Yusei removed the glove from his right hand, so that he can show her his birthmark that was a sign of their friendship; Crimson Dragon’s marks that were symbols of Signers, who are meant to stay together and fight as one in order to protect the world from destruction.

“Friends”, she repeated after him with a smile still resting on her face.

“That’s right! And now we have to visit Godwin together, as Signers, and talk to him to see what kind of battle awaits us!”

“Yusei, why do we have to go there? Didn’t Godwin take your friends hostage and forced you into participating in the Fortune Cup?” Aki seemed worried, “And you’re just going to trust him?”

“No”, he said calmly, “I can’t stand for what Godwin’s done up until now but the world is now on the verge of destruction due to some mysterious phenomenon! And there’s no one besides Godwin who knows the truth behind it all”, he kept a serious look on his face while Aki was listening closely to what he has to say.

“So you risked accepting his invite to drag it out of him, right?” She smiled thinking about how smart and clever Yusei is to just use Godwin like that.

“That’s all we can do now”, he answered, “I’ll leave you to rest. We have a long way to go!”

“Sure”, Aki nodded looking at Yusei disappearing from her sight but then she stopped him from going away, “Hey, Yusei!”

“What is it, Aki?” He turned to her.

“Do you have a lot of friends in Satellite?”

“I have few, yes”, he said calmly thinking about Rally, Blitz, Nerve, Taka and Saiga.

“So you have someone to protect there”, she said but smile disappeared from her face.

“I do!” He turned his back to her again, as he started leaving the room, “Besides, I promised to her that I’ll be back!” He left Aki alone, as she was now thinking about his last words.

“Promised to her? Is there a girl in his life beside his guy friends? Who is she? He never talked about her or even said her name…” Aki whispered to herself feeling slightly jealous, as she figured about she’s not the only girl who Yusei was trying to protect, “Could it be I’m jealous?” She looked at her hands still shivering from shock and all information that was given to her in the past couple of hours…

Soon the time came to visit Godwin and prepare for the battle with Dark Signers, so Aki went outside to look around the beautiful garden in Godwin’s mansion while Yusei wanted to be alone, sitting on the bench and thinking about his friend Kiryu with his fists shaking. He was taken away by his thoughts again before he saw someone standing right in front of him, so he raised his head.

“Jack?” He bowed his head trying to explain his feelings, “If Kiryu really did die, then I’m responsible… He must have died with so much hate towards me”, Yusei’s voice was full of blame and embarrassment, “Do I have to fight while feeling like this? To put a stop to him…” He raised his hands and kept looking at them now knowing what to do, “What should I do?” He was feeling completely useless and powerless thinking about his duel with Kiryu, so everything seemed like it’s pointless.

“What should you do?!?” Jack got angry, “Let me show you!” He pulled Yusei’s shirt and grabbed him from the bench, making him stand up with his eyes looking straight to Jack’s purple ones. He clutched his fist and moved his hand towards Yusei’s stomach, punching him hard and leaving him without breath.

“Jack…” Yusei murmured, as he groaned in pain losing his balance and falling onto the ground. He remembered Hanako’s words, when she wished for Jack to beat his ass just to shake off his fears but he had no idea it will literally happen to him, “What are you doing?” Yusei was holding tight to his abdomen, trying to ignore the pain from that punch.

“I said I would show you what you should do!” Jack was standing still looking to Yusei from above preparing his fist for another punch; hitting Yusei even harder and making him be glued to the ground with his look facing the floor. Yusei groaned and moved his head over his shoulder to look at Jack while his eyes asked for explanation but Jack didn’t mind him at all, “What’s that look for?!?” Jack was still angry, “Seeing how you’re looking at me like an abandoned pet dog, you’ve lost to Kiryu! You make me sick!” He was shouting, “You, who dragged me off my throne as King and gave me such a disgrace!” He was waving with his hands, looking at Yusei with anger and disappointment raging from his eyes, “Where has that Yusei Fudo gone?!?”

Yusei just looked at Jack and moved his head in embarrassment, looking away and thinking about Jack’s words, _“Hanako was right! He knocked me down and made me face my fears…”_

“Kiryu wasn’t the one who died, Yusei!” Jack pointed to Yusei with his finger, “No! It was you!” Jack’s words made Yusei shiver, as his eyes widened now looking at Jack over his shoulder, as his body was still facing the ground, “I can fight! Kiryu may have been a friend, but now he’s an enemy we must defeat!”

“I…” Yusei murmured still confused and afraid, so Jack walked to him and grabbed his shirt again, pulling him up to face him.

“If he has something against us, I’ll deal it back to him in sevenfold! And since you can’t do that…” Jack raised his hand again, moving his fist to Yusei’s face, “You’re just a shell of a man!”

Yusei’s eyes widened, seeing Jack’s fist approaching him, so he gathered all the strength he possibly could, clutched his fist and threw it right back at Jack, “I haven’t died!”

“Those are the eyes!” Jack shouted while both of them had their fists stuck into each other’s faces and laughing out loud from the bottom of their hearts thinking about past times when they used to fight each other just to bring the best out from themselves.

“Jack…” Yusei murmured, “Thanks to you, I’ve opened my eyes!”

“Yeah”, Jack smiled back at him.

“The Dark Signers are pushing the world towards danger… I have to set my resolve to protect my friends in Satellite and what I hold dear!”

“Hmph!” Jack sniffed, “Same old _friends_ and _what I need to protect_ routine?!?” He looked at Yusei but with no answer in return, he started thinking about Carly, as he pulled her glasses out of his shirt, _“What I need… to protect…”_ He thought to himself thinking about how Carly died and turned into a Dark Signer, so his mission was similar to the one Yusei had. He’ll have to fight Carly just like Yusei has to face Kiryu in their final battle against the Dark Signers but his thoughts were soon interrupted by a female voice.

“Seems you’re prepared now”, Aki approached the two.

“Aki…” Yusei called for her.

“I will fight with you. I think what I must do lies ahead!”

“I see”, Yusei gave her a smile when Ruka started shouting.

“Yusei! Yusei!” She was waving with her hands running to Yusei as fast as she could.

“Ruka?”

“You’re going?” She was all hyped about going to Satellite to help others fight the Dark Signers.

“I am”, Yusei’s answer made her smile when Rua did the same, running towards Yusei and calling for him.

“I know now!” Rua shouted happily looking at Yusei, “You’re so cool because you always fight with belief in yourself!” His words made Yusei smile, so Rua turned to Jack and continued, “And you’re still cool, even if you’re not King anymore!”

“Not the King… Anymore?” Rua pushed Jack’s buttons, so he reacted on impulse.

“That’s why I’m gonna be cool too!” Rua exclaimed all thrilled about it all, as he was now thinking how he’d become a King in the future and be as cool as Jack is.

“You can’t!” Jack pointed to Rua, who was still smiling, “A brat like you can never be cool!”

“I will! I will” I definitely will!” Rua was shouting happily but Jack wasn’t satisfied with that at all, but their conversation made everyone else laugh; however, their happiness was soon taken away when Mikage approached them asking them to follow her inside the Godwin’s mansion.

When they gathered in the research room, she showed them the screen with a strange fog covering Satellite. Sector Security was monitoring every single part of the city, so Mikage showed them everything! It was deserted and lifeless, with no people around. It looked like a genocide area.

“Is that Satellite?” Rua was curious.

“Something’s not right!” Yusei said worriedly.

“Hey, what happened there?” Jack was the one to take the action to his hands, as he ordered Mikage to explain it better. Even though he was no longer the King, he still looked at Mikage as Godwin’s secretary and Jack’s apprentice, so she answered to him with a serious tone in her voice.

“We are not sure on the details, but some kind of abnormality occurred in the deepest regions of Satellite!”

“The deepest regions?” Yusei reacted.

“We are currently unable to establish contact with Security in Satellite at all” Mikage said looking at the screen with information that was in her hands, “This footage may not hold for very long”, she raised her head when the picture of Satellite disappeared from the monitor.

“We can’t just stand around doing nothing!” Jack shouted, “We’re going to Satellite on the double! Prepare the helicopter!”

“Y-yes, sir!” Mikage was afraid and confused, not knowing what to do, so she just listened to what Jack said and did what she could to prepare the helicopter for the group.

Yusei was standing still, looking at the blank screen and thinking about his friends from Satellite, _“Rally, Crow… Guys!”,_ his thoughts were taken by the scene he saw just few moments ago, _“Baby, don’t die on me there! I still haven’t returned to you! Just hang in there until I come back!”_

“We are ready, sir!” Mikage shouted, so the group followed her to the roof where Godwin was waiting for them before a helicopter landed on the spot with officer Ushio departing from it.

“Agent Ushio. I have arrived, at your service, sir!” He saluted Godwin, ready for completing his tasks.

“Good job”, Godwin said calmly but Yusei just closed his eyes and bowed his head wearing a smile on his face.

“Oh, it’s you”, seeing Ushio made him be irritated in disbelief.

“What do you mean _oh?!?_ I received direct orders from the Director to escort you all to that damned dump!” He was angry, as Yusei touched his weak spot with his words.

Mikage approached officer Ushio, “You’ll be coming along?” Just to break the verbal fight between them.

“Ma’am! It will be my honour to be of service to you, Miss Mikage!” He placed his right hand on his forehead to greet her properly.

“An early morning mission is a lot to handle, isn’t it, agent Ushio?” She smiled feeling grateful for his assistance and strong will to help them.

“N-not at all…” He blushed, as he wanted to play tough in front of a lady.

“Shall we?” Aki asked the group feeling nervous.

“Yeah!” Rua and Ruka shouted happily but Yusei stopped them.

“Wait!” He turned to Godwin, “I want you to promise me something!”

“What is that?” Godwin remained calm and collected.

“When we defeat the Dark Signers and manage to return everything back to normal, promise me that you’ll connect the Daedalus Bridge with the city!”

“The legendary bridge?” Godwin was surprised at first, “Do you intend to emulate the legendary man who fought to build that bridge?”

“If your story is true, then there should be no more reason to discriminate Satellite!” Yusei explained.

“Very well”, Godwin nodded, “I promise you!”

His words made Yusei nod, as he started approaching the helicopter, so everyone else did the same, _“I swear I’ll unify Satellite and the city, Baby! So all of you can have a decent life and can become legal citizens of the City!”_ He thought to himself boarding the helicopter, _“I’ll do that! Even if it means my life! We must win this battle… For everyone’s sake!”_

Yusei, Jack, Mikage, Aki, Rua, Ruka and Ushio were now inside of the helicopter and travelling back to Satellite to face the Dark Signers. Officer Ushio was navigating the helicopter while others were just sitting still in silence. Aki was thinking about everything Godwin said to them, so she tried to gather as much information about Yusei as she could. Turning to Mikage, she started talking first, “Can you tell us the details on Old Momentum and Yusei’s father?”

“Zero Reverse”, Mikage started, “The tectonic shifts strong enough to separate the city and Satellite which occurred seventeen years ago was, in fact, caused by Old Momentum, located in present-day Satellite’s deepest regions, going out of control. The supervisor of the Momentum Development Section, M.I.D.S., was Yusei’s father. Dr. Fudo!”

“You mean…” Rua started looking at Yusei, who was just sitting lost in his thoughts with his hands crossed, “Yusei’s father was in that incident?”

_“Yusei’s father…”_ Aki thought to herself trying to understand Yusei better, _“So, that’s why you consider family so important!”_

“Hold on a sec!” Ushio interrupted Aki’s thoughts, “Why was a Satellite native in charge of such a major project?” He looked back across his shoulder while he was navigating the helicopter.

“Yusei was originally born in the city”, Jack said calmly.

“What did you say?!?” Ushio’s eyes widened, “No way… You’re telling me this guy wasn’t a Satellite scumbag?!?”

“I was born in Satellite!” Jack got angry, “Got a problem with that?”

“Easy, Jack...” Yusei finally spoke, “I have a surprise waiting for you in Satellite!”

“What kind of a surprise?'' Jack was confused.

''If he tells you, it won't be a surprise'', Ruka said strictly.

“Ruka's right”, Yusei added, “I hope you'll like it!” _I know I did._ He thought to himself thinking about Hanako's smile when she realised he's alive.

Aki saw Yusei’s face and even though she didn't know what that surprise actually might be and couldn't see through Yusei's thoughts; she somehow knew that he is thinking about something or someone very important and valuable to him. She never saw his face like that and his look was warm and distant at the same time.

 _“ I wonder who he is thinking about. Is there someone waiting for him and Jack in Satellite? Is it a girl…? Could it be I'm jealous because of that?”_ She shook her head not wanting to think about it and was distracted when Ushio said something about going back to the city instead of landing at Satellite.

“This looks bad!” Ushio started, “This lightning isn’t normal! We’re through if we take a direct hit. Maybe we should head back…”

“There will be no turning back for us!” Mikage answered strictly, looking at Ushio like it was her final decision.

 _“I’m looking out for you, you know…”_ He thought to himself not being happy with her words, when he felt someone’s hand on his shoulder.

“Land us over there”, Yusei pointed to a spot in Satellite with his finger.

“Huh?!?” Ushio didn’t look very happy.

“Land, please!” Mikage was angry, as she ordered Ushio to listen to what Yusei just said, so he landed the helicopter inside the woods near a big old house and when the door opened, Yusei smiled seeing Saiga and Martha waiting for him at the front door, so he smiled at them raising his hand.

“Yusei?!?” Martha was surprised to see some strange people coming out of the helicopter alongside Yusei when she saw Jack standing next to him, “Jack!” She shouted happily running towards them. “Is that you, Jack?” She spread her arms with feelings of excitement because she sees Jack after so much time has passed.

“Martha?” Jack was confused.

“There are rules to growing so big!” Martha placed her hand on Jack’s shoulder slightly kicking him.

“I know it’s been years since I left here…” Jack murmured.

“Okay, just like old times”, Martha smiled, “C’mon! A king always…?” She gave Jack her right hand while she was wearing a smile on her face.

“Ah…” Jack whispered in embarrassment when he realised what Martha wants him to do, so he hesitated before he kneeled in front of her while Yusei was looking at him and smiling, “A king always”, Jack finally gathered the courage to end Martha’s sentence, “Shows respect to a lady!” After saying those words, he reached for Martha’s hand and kissed it like the king kisses his queen’s hand.

“You’re such a good boy!” Martha shouted happily wrapping her arms around Jack and holding him tight while he tried to exit her embrace.

“Martha, cut that out!”

“Oh, man! Welcome back, Yusei!” Kids started shouting as they gathered around Yusei with smiles on their faces.

“Welcome back!” One of the boys shouted and their voices managed to reach Hanako’s ears, as she was still inside the House, trying to repair their beds, so they don’t get hurt in their sleep. She promised to Martha that she won’t leave this place until she repairs all of their beds and makes sure they are in perfect state. She had her gloves on and was all smudgy and dirty, as she even tried to paint the wood just for it to look fresh and new. There was more work to do than she thought it’ll be, so she got all sweaty and tired.

She let a sigh from her body after she removed sweat from her forehead with her upper arm. She was doing her best but her thoughts were coming in her way and stopping her from concentrating but finally she heard a noise coming from the outside and couldn't help herself but smile.

 _“Could it be... Yusei's back?!?”_ She left everything as it is with her tools lying on the floor; she even forgot to grab a towel with her, as she was running to meet everyone at the door as fast as she could…

Meanwhile, Jack was still curious about that surprise Yusei was talking about.

''Hey, Yusei... Is this that huge surprise of yours?'' Jack asked after kissing Martha's hand and exiting her embrace.

“Well”, Yusei started, ''Not really...'' He smiled while looking a bit nervous. He didn't know himself was it because he was hoping that Jack will have the same reaction as he had or because he will finally see Hanako again. Ever since they met after two long years, he was craving for her energy and smile; he wanted to be by her side so bad thinking about how much he missed her while they were separated.

“Guys...!” His thoughts were interrupted by a friendly, warm and gentle female voice. All of the present people turned their heads to the door when Yusei realised that Hanako was standing there completely speechless, breathing heavily like she ran for her life but his eyes couldn't meet hers because she was concentrated on Jack's appearance.

''Speaking of the devil...'' Yusei smiled looking back at Jack but all he could say was just spelling Hanako's short name form they used for calling her if they wanted to avoid her nickname _Baby_.

''Ako...'' Jack whispered having a hard time to believe his eyes.

“You are back, guys!” Her smile was covering almost every part of her face. She was so excited and happy to see them all together as she remembered how Yusei told her a lot about his new friends from Neo Domino city but what she was most excited about was Jack. He was standing next to Martha, looking at her as confused as he could be, trying to realise what is going on. He never thought for Hanako to be here and for what he heard from Godwin, she left Yusei's side short after he left Satellite two years ago and didn't know what happened to her. He was struggling a lot wanting to come back to Satellite just to make sure she's alright, as Godwin was never able to find out where she might be but his intentions were always interrupted by Godwin, like he didn’t want Jack to meet Hanako in Satellite. The reason for Godwin’s action he never managed to find…

“Jack...” She whispered to herself and shook her head. After blinking a few times, she realised she's not dreaming, so she shouted again out of joy, “Jack!!!” She said his name as loud as she could and ran to him without even thinking about his reactions. The will inside of her to hug him was taking over her entire body, so her mind went completely blank. She was running really fast shouting Jack's name again and she didn't even bother with her dirty clothes or messed up hair. Jack was looking at her in confusion but quickly got himself together as Yusei tried to wake him up from his gazing with a short whistle. He was now looking at Hanako running to his embrace. He didn't see her for only two years but it seemed as it was entire century ago. She didn't change a lot in her face, her look was still warm and she was still wearing a huge smile on her face. She was all dirty probably from working on something, _“A D-wheel”_ , he thought, “ _Or something else_... _Maybe trying to help Martha with something?”_

Her body was a bit chubby from her waist to her toes as always and she was trying to hide it with her biker chaps attached to her belt but her upper body was slim as he remembers, the only change on her is that her curves got a bit more feminine and her breast was visible but still too small for a girl her age. As she was approaching him, he became more aware of her appearance, so he called her back with a smile, “Baby!!!” He reached to her with both his hands not minding getting dirty at all. Her smile got bigger when she heard him calling her by nickname just like the old times.

''Baby?!?'' Mikage, Rua and Ruka screamed at the same tame being surprised by Jack’s words but out of all three of them, Mikage was the one to suffer emotional breakdown, as she couldn’t stop thinking about Jack’s relationship with that girl. She was even more jealous than she was when Jack was hanging out with Carly. Her body started shaking with anger and disappointment, as she wished deep down inside of her that this sight she just saw is nothing but a lie or a hologram. Mikage was always the one to be by Jack’s side but he never seemed to acknowledge her and that made her desperate and sad but she wasn’t the only one trying to figure out who that girl is and what’s her relationship with Jack.

“Could it be that she's...” Aki whispered to herself.

“Jack... Thank hammers you're alright!” Hanako jumped straight into his arms holding him tight. She could only reach his waist with her hands, as she was too short for his height and Jack grabbed her with his arms and hugged her even tighter, picking her up from the ground into the air and spinning her around in a circle, ''I missed you so much, Jack!'' She looked at him when he stopped spinning and placed her back on her feet.

“I missed you, too”, he said to her and grabbed her upper arms and moved her away, so that he can look her straight into the eyes, ''Are you alright? Did something happen to you?'' He sounded worried.

“I'm good! I've improved a lot, as you can see”, she looked around referring to herself, trying to show Jack how dirty she is because of all the work she's done so far. She was laughing like a child getting dirty by laying in the sand or dirt after a rainy day.

“Are you still working on D-wheels?”

“Yeah! I can check your Wheel of Fortune later, if you want!” She smiled.

“I would love to”, he said all hyped about it.

“You never told us you have a girlfriend, Jack!” Ushio finally said trying to find out what kind of a relationship he and Hanako have, as he had no idea how Baby knows Jack from before and she never talked about him in the past. Besides, he could easily steal Mikage's heart away from him, if Baby has that important role in Jack’s life or so he thought.

“Wha...” Jack began but Yusei managed to cross the path of his words.

“Wait, you got it all wrong, she's no-” Yusei stopped when he realised everyone is looking at him awkwardly. He then realised he let himself loose and lost control over his feelings. It was just like that one time when Martha tried to convince him that Aki will be his future wife, just this time it was different emotionally. He never thought, he'd let himself lose control over his reaction but just the thought of Hanako being with Jack made him lose his senses. He couldn't bear the thought of them being together as he never saw Jack as a man worth Hanako's heart and soul. She was childish at first but she's grown so much and was more mature than a lot of people her age... Her whole world was seen through pink glasses and she was filled with positivity all the time because of the hard life she's been through. It's like she promised to herself that she will smile forever and show children in Satellite that happiness is attainable even though they're not living in Neo Domino City. She has the strength of an army and the unbreakable will but it wasn't always like that and Yusei and Jack knew it very well… Even though they were always there to protect her, Yusei completely lost that need now because she was so emotionally strong that she left an impression of girl, who needs no man to protect her. Even though Jack, Crow, Kiryu and himself cared for her while she was young and fragile, she's grown so much up to that point where her actions stopped craving for their protection. “ _It's more likely I will need someone to protect me before she does...”_ Yusei sounded strict even to himself remembering his duel with Kiryu and the fear that resides in him when Jack snapped him out of his thought.

“She is not my girlfriend”, he said with his normal, deep and proud voice.

“She grew up with Crow, Jack and I here at Martha's place”, Yusei added.

“She's our foster sister”, Jack ended and their reaction made Hanako a bit shy and embarrassed because she figured out that she didn't introduce herself to unknown people that were surrounding her but she was happy to see officer Ushio here in Satellite, keeping Yusei’s and Jack’s side.

“So there we are!” Ushio smiled in relief, “You could’ve said so, Baby!”

Everyone was surprised to hear Ushio calling Hanako by her nickname but she didn’t mind it, as she jumped in front of the officer with a smile on her face, “Yo, gramps!”

“Gramps?” Yusei and Jack shouted at the same time.

“I’m glad you’re fine”, Ushio smiled, so she smiled back at him even brighter than few moments ago and her action made Ushio’s face blush. He reached for her hand and she thought he wanted to shake her hand so she immediately gave him her right hand but just when she reached his hand, she noticed dirty gloves on her hands, so she moved her hand.

“Sorry!” She said, “I forgot to take them off!” She removed one glove from her right hand and gave it to the officer to shake his hand, “Here! We never shook hands before!”

Ushio was looking at her like enchanted and then gathered his thoughts, reached the palm of her hand and took it into his. Instead of just shaking the hands with her, he turned the palm of her hand downwards and kissed the upper part of her hand, as he always wanted to do that, only she kept running away from him.

“Pleasure to be seeing you here”, he added making Hanako blush. Jack automatically jumped between them and put a hand on Ushio's shoulder.

“Easy there, officer! She could be your daughter”, he was angry but his action made Yusei sighed in relief because Jack stopped officer from going any further. Hanako didn't even bother about it, as she never thought of Ushio trying to do that with dirty intentions... Her mind was pure and innocent and something that was connected with sexuality was the least of her worries. She moved from Jack and looked at Mikage.

“You must be Miss Mikage, Jack's secretary”, she smiled and Mikage couldn't help herself but blush to Hanako's reaction after she saw glowing blue eyes of Hanako’s. Her energy was so warm that it made Mikage feel like she's adored by a child. “My name is Hanako but friends just call me Ako or Baby!”

Mikage confirmed Hanako’s statement with a nod, “It's nice to meet you, young lady”, but Hanako just nodded and turned around to see who else is here. She pointed with her finger to Rua and Ruka while looking at Yusei.

“Twins you were talking about?”

Yusei nodded with a smile on his face, so she jumped happily putting herself on her knees before the twins, “I am so happy to meet you!” She hugged them both all of a sudden, “Yusei has told me a lot about you two!”

“He did?” Rua said filled with confidence and pride but Hanako just nodded.

“Really?” Ruka blushed seeing Hanako's big smile. “ _This girly really has a beautiful smile_ ”, she thought to herself, “ _And she is so happy even though she lives here in Satelite...”_

“I thought that Satellite would be a much scarier place”, Rua murmured like he read his sister’s mind.

“There are happy, cheerful kids here”, Ruka added.

''Hanako...'' Aki began, what made Hanako raise her head, as she was still on her knees.

“Wow!” Said Hanako all amazed and in awe when she jumped on her feet, “Yusei, she is so pretty!” Hanako looked at Yusei for a second and then returned her eyes back to Aki, who was quite higher than her, so Hanako had to keep her head up. Just the thought of being pretty made Aki blush and smile at the same time, “Yusei told me about you too, miss”, she clapped with her hands, “You are really beautiful”, Hanako was amazed and out of control now not thinking about what will other people think to her reactions. She loved pretty things and cute people but it was mostly because she had the ability to see through people's energies and auras, so she could feel their kindness or hatred and it's like she knew what resides in their hearts. It was something she couldn't explain but it was a strong part of her character and she was sometimes ashamed of that gift of hers. Seeing Aki from this close, she felt sadness and pain drowning inside of her soul and suddenly she felt rejection Aki went through when she was younger but some kind of acceptance and kindness was luring her deeper into Aki's Heart. She knew Aki's not bad or dangerous person but kind and caring instead.

“Thank... You, I guess...” Aki was confused with her face still blushing because she was thinking about what Yusei said to Hanako about her.

“She thinks you have a beautiful soul, Izayoi”, Yusei added, as he tried to explain to Aki what Hanako was thinking about when she said Aki is beautiful.

“Ahem”, Hanako jumped again clapping her hands few times, “That too”, she smiled when another male voice drew her attention.

“What’s a guy like you doing tagging along?” It was Saiga. He was approaching officer Ushio with a smile like they already met somewhere before.

“Hey, you are from that one time!” Ushio pointed to Saiga remembering how Saiga pushed him away along with his runner to help Yusei escape, “I just came here on the director’s orders. Who’d ever come here by choice?!?” Saiga was just looking at him with a poker face, when Ushio noticed two girls standing behind Saiga’s back, “What?” His voice was lowered and serious, almost frightening, so the girls got scared and ran away to Hanako’s embrace, so Saiga just sighed and left.

“Hey, there, cutesies”, Hanako placed her hands on both girls’ heads, playing gently with their hair. She looked up to see the direction they ran away from, when she saw Ushio standing with his arms placed on his hips, “Yo, gramps!” She shouted slightly angered by his posture.

“What is it, Baby?”

“You can’t scare my kids like that!” Her smile disappeared, as she was now looking at Ushio like she’s going to kick his ass for scaring those little girls.

“No sense in being popular to a bunch of brats”, he just murmured but Hanako could hear him clearly.

“Don’t you dare…” She curled her lips trying to scold officer for what he just did but then she shook her head remembering how verbal war won’t bring any peace to this world. “Why don’t you go inside and play?” She kneeled down to meet girls’ eyes when both girls nodded and entered the House while Saiga followed them giving Hanako a nod to imply how he’ll take care for the rest. While it all played that way, Yusei was wearing a smile on his face watching Hanako’s actions but then he remembered what he saw on that screen in Neo Domino City, so he tried to look for an explanation.

“Martha!” He turned to Martha as his smile faded away, “Is everyone in Satellite OK?”

Her sad face already answered his questions, so he knew something’s not right. Even though she knew Yusei could’ve sensed it, she called them all inside the House to talk about everything that happened while they were in Neo Domino City, far away from home…


	12. Me Before You

9th Chapter

(following anime episode 45)

**Me before You**

“Yesterday, a black fog suddenly fell over Satellite”, Martha started explaining what happened while Yusei was in Neo Domino City and now with everyone gathered in the dining room around the table, she could finally have them all under her watch. “And when the fog cleared, the people there just vanished!” Almost everyone that Yusei met and cared for was now here: Rua and Ruka were sitting next to him and Jack was across; Martha was sitting on his right, on the edge of the table while Hanako was on the other edge across her with Saiga and Aki next to her left and right. She was looking at Martha, who bowed her head when Yusei jumped in to break her sentence.

“Vanished?!?”

“That’s right”, Martha murmured with saddened face.

“Almost everyone…” Hanako whispered while her face saddened.

“Though the fog didn’t reach here, so we were safe from it”, Martha added in the end.

“Rally, Taka, Nerve, Blitz and Crow haven’t come back”, Saiga said with a serious look on his face.

“They what?” Yusei shouted with the feelings of guilt.

“Crow was…” Hanako started but couldn’t finish because tears were stopping her voice from remaining calm and normal.

“What happened to him?” Yusei was curious.

“He went outside to check the kids and…” Hanako tried to explain.

“Crow…” Yusei murmured.

“Are those all your friends, Yusei?” Rua asked curiously.

“Yeah”, Yusei nodded, what made Rua, Ruka and Aki sad and worried just like they could feel the loss of a friend that Yusei was experiencing now. Rua’s voice made Martha look at him when she saw Aki Izayoi sitting next to him and his sister Ruka.

“Would you happen to be Senator Izayoi’s…?”

“Yes”, Aki smiled, “I am his daughter, Aki!”

“Ah, right! Yusei, you managed to open her heart’s door for her, didn’t you?” Martha was happy but Yusei remained serious, “I’m relieved!” She was smiling to Aki when she saw Yusei’s face after Hanako was trying to point it to her feeling worried for him. “What about you? Don’t tell me you’re still afraid of Kiryu?”

“I am…” He moved his head away, “That terrifying card activated by absorbing people’s souls... The Earthbound Immortal”, he closed his eyes for a second like he was remembering that scene, “To be honest, I’m afraid of that card…”

“And to think how we held that conversation just yesterday”, Hanako murmured to herself, shaking her head.

“But I have a lot of friends in my corner!” Yusei raised his head not wanting to look powerless.

“Don’t get the wrong idea!” Jack shouted, “I haven’t become anyone’s friend!”

“Jack”, Hanako tried to scold him, “If you’re not going to help your friends, you can leave this room!” She stood up and raised her voice.

“I’m not interested in making friends with any of you! I have my reasons for being here!”

“I told you to exit the room if that’s the case!” Hanako looked at him sharpening her eyes, pointing to the door with her finger, “Now!” She shouted again thinking about Crow and Jack’s disrespectful manners.

“Humph”, Jack was just looking at her without taking any action. He didn’t even think about leaving, so he just stayed sitting on the chair with his arms crossed while Hanako smiled knowing how Jack won’t go away and leave his friends; he was just too proud to say it out loud.

“It’s OK, Baby”, Yusei said, “Once I have a sense of camaraderie, I’ll be able to overcome those fears!”

“Yeah!” Rua shouted with excitement.

“Besides”, Yusei said, “Kiryu was once my friends as well”, he looked at his fists.

“Well said! That’s my Yusei!” Martha shouted, so Hanako smiled to that statement.

“Are you going to the Dark Signer’s base now?” Hanako asked and Yusei nodded.

“But it’s getting late, so I suggest you stay the night”, Martha stood up and smiled, “Now, I’m gonna get dinner ready!”

“I’m going to help you, Martha!” Hanako smiled shouting happily but Martha just shook her head looking at Yusei.

“I think you have someone else who needs your help more than I do”, she said and her words made Yusei look at Hanako, who was looking back at him.

“Meet me outside”, he said calmly exiting the room while everyone was looking at him not knowing what to do next, so Saiga said how he’ll take care for the kids and left. Jack just left without saying a word, so Mikage ran outside to catch his presence and, since she was no longer there, officer Ushio tried to sneak out to keep an eye on her. After everyone went their separate ways, Hanako was looking at Rua, Ruka and Aki nervously because she wanted to meet Yusei outside as soon as possible.

“Hey, Martha, maybe we should give them tea or something”, Hanako smiled.

“You got a point there, my child”, Martha hurried to the kitchen and Hanako ran with her leaving the twins with Aki alone.

“She’s so cute”, Rua shouted all of a sudden.

“Yeah…” Ruka murmured looking at the door leading to the kitchen like she was waiting for Hanako to show up again.

“I just wonder what she means to-” Aki started but soon stopped her thoughts from coming out of her mouth when she saw Yusei outside with his duel runner.

“To what?” Rua was confused.

“Ah, never mind”, Aki smiled when Hanako came back.

“Here!” She served them tea in three big cups and placed a plate with homemade cookies on the table, “I baked them today for the kids but feel free to serve yourselves!” Kind smile of hers was following her actions.

“Wow!” Rua was excited as always before he took a cookie and placed it in his mouth.

“You could’ve thanked her for that”, Ruka rolled her eyes and sighed.

“R-right!” Rua said with his mouth full, “Phankh you!” He murmured.

“No problem”, Hanako winked when she realised Yusei is waiting for her outside, “I have something to do… I’ll be right back! You just feel like home!” She left everything on the table and disappeared from the dining room like she was never there.

“Huh?” Rua was confused when he looked outside the window and saw Hanako running to Yusei.

“Who is she, anyway?” Aki whispered, “I don’t remember Yusei was ever telling us about her…”

“He did to us!” Ruka smiled, “He said he has someone in Satellite he needs to protect!”

“What do you mean?”

“He said she was like a sister to him just like Ruka is to me”, Rua smiled.

“I see…” Aki looked at them and then moved her eyes to the cup of tea in front of her.

“Aki, are you OK?” Ruka was worried.

“I am”, she whispered, “I’m just curious what they are talking about…”

“To me she looks like a mechanic”, Rua said, “Maybe she’s helping him with his D-Wheel!”

“Yeah, I also thought about it”, Ruka smiled placing a hand on Aki’s shoulder, “If she’s Yusei’s friend then she’s also our friend just like you, Aki!”

Ruka’s words made Aki feel accepted and loved, so a small smile appeared on her face while she was thinking about good friends she met after meeting Yusei…

* * *

“Yusei!” Hanako shouted happily when she ran to Yusei, who was standing outside of the House checking on his duel runner but he didn’t say a word when he moved his look to the person calling for him. To her it was something that she just had to accept as the part of Yusei’s character because he was always short on words and never talked much. “Whatcha doin’?” She placed her hands behind her back looking at him.

“The battle that awaits us is going to be very tough, so I just want to make sure I give my best!”

“You learn fast”, she giggled, “You finally got back to Yusei I know!”

“It’s all thanks to my friends and Martha”, he murmured after he kneeled down picking a wrench.

“And Jack!” She pointed out while her body was swinging back and forth because she was happy to have old Yusei back.

“Baby”, Yusei whispered, so she turned all of her attention to him listening clearly, “I wanted to ask you something…”

“Sure!”

“How can you ride that runner?”

“What do you mean?” She looked at the direction his eyes were pointing to when she saw her runner parked nearby.

“You have different centre of rotation on your tires…”

“Ah, that!” She smiled, “I made it on purpose! It makes it easier to control the speed!”

“I had no idea that’s even possible!” Yusei was still confused.

“Well… I thought that, too!” She got lost in her thoughts, “But once you get used to it, you can never get back to the symmetrical rotation! At least I can’t…”

“Is it hard to get used to it?”

“You can try”, she giggled, “It took me around 2 months because I have to lean forward a lot when I’m driving due to my runner’s design and my front body is weaker then my back part, so I had some hard time balancing the thing…”

“Show me”, he smiled approaching her duel runner.

“Right!” She ran behind him jumping happily.

“Sit back here”, she patted a seat on her runner that was farther from the front than he’s used to, “Lean here and accelerate. Just focus on switching your balance to your front body!” She clicked something on her runner, “Here, you can keep the track of your balance!”

“I’ll try”, he smiled looking at the screen with numbers, revving her runner. When he got the feeling of the engine, he slightly kicked the pedal and accelerated, trying to take her runner for a ride, “One circle around the House should be enough”, he shouted to overcome the sound of the engine.

“Just be careful”, she winked and moved her hands away when Yusei nodded but as soon as he started driving, the back tire started pushing the runner too hard and he leaned forward, so the runner started turning its back side over the front one. The front of the runner was standing still while the back was accelerating, so it pushed him towards the ground and he fell onto the ground.

“Yusei!” Hanako ran to him looking at him lying on the ground, “Are you OK?”

“How are you riding this thing?” He smiled.

“I told you already! It took me almost two months to master it!”

“I just don’t get it…” He murmured, so she sat down on the ground next to him removing his helmet, so that she can see his eyes.

“What is it now?”

“Sometimes I feel like I’m not upgrading”, he looked away trying to reach the sky with his eyes, so she looked at the same direction.

“Yusei, you don’t have to be the best all the time”, she whispered, “It’s OK not to be perfect, you know?”

“You don’t get it, Baby! Kiryu is…”

“I know! He’s too strong!” She looked at him, “But that doesn’t mean he’s invincible!”

“You should’ve seen that duel… I was…”

“You almost lost but you didn’t! And you saw his strategies and his cards!” Hanako’s words made Yusei look at her, “You’re the one who doesn’t get it, Yusei!”

“Baby, I’m just…”

“You got another chance! Do you know how important that is? It’s something that only few people get! A second chance to make things right, so get out there and do your best, no matter what the outcome!” She waved with her hand, pointing to the woods, to show him the long distance he has to cross.

“Yeah!” He nodded with a smile on his face feeling encouraged and strong now that she’s also by his side! He was looking at her admiring her for her characteristics and bravery while she just jumped up and stood on her legs, leaving his helmet on the ground.

“Here!” She reached to him with her hand, so he grabbed her hand, as she helped him stand up.

“Let me show you something”, he smiled looking at her while he was holding her hand really tight, “I need your help!” Hanako nodded happily while following Yusei around their runners. He approached his D-Wheel and took a wrench that was lying on the ground, “I'm just curious”, he murmured showing her his engine from the inside.

“Curious about what?” She was looking at his engine a bit confused by the sight.

“What do you think about this...?” He said pointing to the gear that was connecting its centre with other gears around itself.

“The planetary gear? What's bothering you about it?”

“It's the same planetary gear inside the Momentum that my father built”, he said.

“You think that the Old Momentum can interfere D-Wheel’s system?”

“I was thinking about it, yes...”

“Hmmm...” Hanako started deeply thinking about it, “I don't how they are connected but I'm sure that the negative energy from the Old Momentum is responsible for our runners’ low quality system...”

“You think so?”

“Well... I don't wanna rush but", she looked worried, "When the Old Momentum was awakened and the Dark Signers showed up, my runner started acting a bit strange...”

“What do you mean?”

“Don't tell me you haven't noticed”, she jumped in surprise but Yusei just kept looking at her a bit confused, so she continued, "The engine", she showed him the same spot he pointed to her few moments ago, “Is acting strange. It's like it won't listen to me at times and I can't accelerate more than about 12 counters in a duel... It just won't go faster!”

“You think it's connected to the Old Momentum?”

“I'm not sure but if they have the same structure of Planetary gear and if the Old Momentum is going to rotate in negative again, I think this is the warning. Because the Planetary gear from our runners is skipping the beat of connection every now and then...”

“Like it's trying to change the rotating but it fails and continues moving in positive?”

“Exactly!” Hanako pointed with a smile feeling happy to cooperate with Yusei again. It's been two years since they saw each other, so she almost forgot how exciting it is to solve puzzles and come to a conclusion with Yusei by her side… Her eyes were concentrated on him while she was hoping that Yusei feels the same way when a small smile showed on his face what made her remember, “Maybe what saved you from that duel with Kiryu was the Old Momentum itself!”

“Do you think my father might have actually…”

“I never said anything, Yusei”, she shook her head, “It’s just a guess!” She placed her hands on her hips while he was looking at her like hypnotised by gazing into her eyes, so Hanako got worried something's not right, “Yusei, what’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking...”

“Oh”, she said with feelings of rejection because she wanted for Yusei to share his thoughts with her and it didn’t take long for Yusei to understand that, so after realising it, he tried to explain himself in his own way.

“Baby”, he smiled all of a sudden, “I'm glad you're here!”

She was looking at him in confusion while her face turned red without her even realising it, as she didn’t expect it from him so suddenly, “I-I'm... Me too”, she murmured when Martha came out of the House shouting for Hanako's name. When Hanako turned her head to face Martha, she started shouting.

“Baby, would you mind helping me with the dinner?”

“Sure!” She shouted back to her, so Martha got back inside.

“Well... I guess I gotta go”, Hanako was scratching the ground with her foot.

“Go there and give your best!” Yusei smiled to her, putting his hands into the pockets.

“Yeah”, Hanako nodded back at him and ran away to meet Martha in the kitchen as soon as she could.

 _“She sure is a blessing”,_ Yusei thought to himself looking at her disappearing from his sight. Being glad he finally found her and given the opportunity to have her help again with runners was what he was hoping for…

Having a person who understands him was more than he could ever ask in his life and in the end, she was the only one to love duel runners as much as he did and to be a mechanic like he is just made their communication even easier, so he never needed to explain something in details, she would already know what he was thinking about…


	13. Just a Mechanic

10th Chapter

(following anime episodes 45, 46 and 47)

**Just a mechanic**

Hanako was walking through the halls of the House searching for Martha. She left Yusei alone with his runner and entered the House because Martha asked her for help, “I wonder where she went”, Hanako murmured to herself looking around when she heard some familiar voices coming from the bathroom.

“But Satellite natives can’t join Security!” Someone shouted worriedly and Hanako recognised that voice; it was officer Ushio but who was he talking to? Feeling curious, she decided to go to the direction that the voice was coming from just to see what’s going on.

“Nothing’s absolutely impossible in this world”, Hanako heard Martha answering officer Ushio’s question, so she hurried just to make it in time when she saw a little boy standing on the door.

“Takuya?” Hanako was surprised, “What are you doing here?” She started to worry because Takuya might have heard the conversation between Martha and Ushio, so she did her best to distract Takuya from that but he didn’t seem down because of what he heard.

“Ah, Baby!” He smiled happily, “I’m helping the police officer clean up the House!”

“Gramps is cleaning up?!?” She raised an eyebrow refusing to believe Takuya’s words.

“Yes! He’s really trying hard!”

“Is that so?” She smiled, “I wonder if Martha made him do that…”

“One day, I’m going to be an officer just like he is!”

“I bet you will”, Hanako smiled approaching the boy, “You’ll be the best officer Neo Domino will ever have”, she placed a hand on his head, playing with his hair and trying to hide disappointment from her face because she wanted for Takuya to believe those words even though the truth was just the opposite and it would only hurt Takuya. It was hard seeing children from Satellite dreaming so big because the way life here goes, they could never get the opportunity to go to Neo Domino City to use their full potential.

“We should go see them!” Takuya giggled.

“Sure”, Hanako nodded so they entered the bathroom when Hanako saw Martha and Ushio talking. Since Takuya jumped right in, Ushio turned his head to the door and there he saw a little boy with Hanako behind his back. Takuya smiled happily but Ushio’s face was either confused or surprised and Hanako supposed it was because Ushio thought Takuya heard their conversation.

“Ako, have you finished with Yusei yet?”

“Well… We still have a lot to catch up but”, she stopped all of a sudden feeling like this information is not very important to Martha, “We’re OK”, she smiled slightly.

“Yeah, Yusei is so cool!” Takuya shouted and his reaction made Hanako giggle remembering how Yusei is popular among the kids just like Crow. Even though they are different in many things, Crow and Yusei had so much in common, especially when it comes to kids and taking care for the loved ones… Only Yusei never had a great social skills like Crow does and it was like that ever since she met them.

“Baby?” Martha said calmly but Hanako wasn’t reacting as she was completely drowned in her thoughts about her childhood friends and the time she spent with them in the orphanage. Seeing how she’s in some other world, Martha raised the tone of her voice, “Baby!”

“Y-yes, Martha?” Hanako shook her head.

“We need to set the table!”

“Ah, sure”, she nodded and ran away to the kitchen to prepare everything for the dinner. There, she found Rua and Ruka still eating cookies while Aki was sitting next to them looking at her cup of tea.

“Hanako, you’re back!” Rua shouted with his hands up in the air.

“Yeah”, Hanako smiled picking the plates from the shelf, “Here! You’ll need this!” She said placing the plates on the table while circling around it. When she finished, she ran back to the shelf to grab some spoons and glasses for water.

“Do you need any help?” Aki tried to give Hanako a hand but she just shook her head, as she continued placing the supplies on the table, “It’s OK. I’m used to doing this on my own”, she said not wanting to be rude to her guests. They are all Yusei’s friends after all!

While Aki, Rua and Ruka were watching Hanako prepare the table, everyone else started coming in and taking their positions. Soon, they all gathered just like few moments ago. Hanako was energetically jumping around the table whistling and serving the stew to everyone, while others were just looking at her, impatiently waiting for the meal. As soon as she finished and sat on her chair that was set next to Jack and across Yusei, kids started digging in!

“Time to eat!” Kids shouted before eating but Rua and Ruka were not pleased by the sight of the stew that was placed in front of them.

“This stew is yummy!” Little boy named Micchan shouted after licking the spoon.

“Yeah”, added his little friend Jun.

“The nice guy from Security made it”, little Takuya explained, so everyone started gazing into the officer Ushio while Hanako was proud to hear that while a small smile rested on her face.

“Thank you for the stew!” A little girl shouted.

“Thank you”, added her little sister sitting next to her.

“Well, gramps, look like you got yourself an audience”, Hanako giggled what made Jack remember.

“Baby, do you find to know the officer from before?”

“I do!” Hanako nodded, “He’s patrolling in Satellite after all!”

“Yeah and I also saved your butt from trouble few times”, Ushio raised his head trying to look cool in front of Takuya and other kids.

“Wow, he did that?” Takuya looked at Baby with his eyes craving for a positive answer.

“Yeah”, she answered, “He saved me while I was collecting some spare parts for your duel disks…”

“She was sniffing around the scrap yard and one officer almost kicked her down but I managed to react in time!”Ushio added proud of himself.

“So he’s been playing our role, huh?” Jack sniffed.

“I never asked for protection, Jack!” She said with unpleasant look in her eyes, “Besides, you’re the one who left Satellite!” She crossed her hands.

“But still you got it”, he said.

“Jack!” Hanako raised the tone of her voice trying to give him a clue; it jus wasn’t the right time to argue about stuff like that and it didn’t took long before Jack calmed himself down.

“I’m just glad you’re safe and sound, Baby”, he murmured with his face slightly blushing like he was embarrassed to say it out loud and everyone else knew it wasn’t the real Jack that presented himself as the King.

Yusei was looking at Jack, so his thoughts started running away again, as he was now deeply thinking about Jack’s relationship with Hanako but not wanting to be distracted from the moment, he soon found something else to think about when he was looking at the kids right now; they were enjoying the stew that Ushio prepared for everyone. He was thinking about their lives and their futures with a strong desire to make their lives better in the future, “If we win this battle, a bridge will be built between here and the city”, he finally said, “There’ll be no more discrimination after that! Your futures are certain to change. An age where you can be who you want till come!” Everyone was listening to him carefully.

“Yusei, you’re so cool!” Takuya shouted all hyped about the thought of becoming a legal citizen even though he had no idea what difference does it make.

 _“He’s right”,_ Ushio thought to himself _, “Maybe he can make Security one day…”_ His thoughts got interrupted by the loud lightning strike. The hit was so strong it broke the windows and small pieces of glass started flying around the room, so Yusei jumped to protect the kids.

“What was that?”

“Are you all okay?” Martha got worried and everyone was already on their feet looking at the broken window when Yusei ran closer to it to see what’s going on. Just then, the lightning stroke once again but this time it was less powerful than the first time.

“Who are you?!” Yusei shouted through the window when he saw a man hiding in the shadows. He was dressed in the same cape as Kiryu, so Yusei assumed he was one of the Dark Signers.

“My name is Rudger”, the man said, “Yes, I am the Dark Signer with the Spider’s Birthmark!” He raised his right hand, showing his mark to Yusei. At the same spot Yusei had his Dragon’s Tail mark, this weird guy named Rudger had a spider engraved. Yusei remembered that sign! It was the same sign that burned Satellite in the vision he saw in his duel with Jack during the Fortune Cup.

_“The Spider’s Birthmark? Could that vision be coming to reality?”_ He thought to himself, as his body started to shiver with fear.

“I’ve heard that four Signers have cropped up, so I just came here to greet them”, Rudger exclaimed with the voice almost threatening, so Hanako ran to the window and stood next to Yusei.

“What’s going on, Yusei?”

“I’m throwing a party for you all”, Rudger said when Hanako laid her eyes on him, “With that party, of course, being a duel”, his smile was evil and toxic.

“Argh, not those creepies again!” Hanako murmured when she realised Yusei’s body was shaking.

“What did you say?!” Jack interrupted running towards the window when Yusei placed his hand in front of him trying to stop him.

“Jack!” Yusei shouted, “We can’t duel here!”

“Just let me crush him like a spider!” Jack shouted angrily looking at Yusei.

“They’ll get swallowed up by that flaming geoglyph”, Yusei said looking behind his back with his eyes pointing to Martha and others.

“Yusei’s right, Jack”, Hanako said, “That fog took almost every single soul in Satellite! We can’t risk losing anyone else…”

“Fine!” Jack calmed down.

“Get them away from here!” Yusei shouted looking at Jack and Hanako, “You’re in charge of Martha and the kids…”

Jack was just looking at Yusei not happy about this decision when Hanako took his wrist, “Let’s go, Jack”, she whispered pulling him away, “We better het going!” She dragged Jack deep into the House while Yusei went outside to duel Rodger.

“I’m coming along”, Aki said when Yusei took his duel disk. He looked at her giving her a nod.

“You’re duelling me, Rudger!” Yusei said.

“Fine then!” Rudger agreed.

“Follow me!” Yusei looked at Rudger and started leading him and Aki far away from the House straight into the centre of Satellite leaving Hanako and Jack with Martha, hoping how they will take a good care for the kids while he’s duelling to protect them…

* * *

Hanako was walking next to Jack, who was now checking his Birthmark that started glowing.

“Does it hurt?” She asked worriedly.

“Sometimes it’s clutching but nothing I can’t bear”, he said proudly, “It seems like it started!”

“You mean the battle between that creepy Rudger and Yusei?”

“Yusei…” Little Ruka whispered, holding her hand and looking at her glowing Birthmark while everyone was following Martha through the halls of the House.

“Here, in this room”, she showed them through the door that were leading to somewhere, no one knew where and before entering, two little girls started looking around like they were searching for something.

“What’s wrong, cutesies?” Hanako placed her hands on their shoulders.

“Takuya is not here!”

“Jun and Micchan too!” Their faces looked worried.

“What now?!” Martha was shocked.

“Hey, gramps!” Hanako pointed her finger into Ushio, “Weren’t they just behind your back?!”

“Well… Yeah…” He started scratching the back of his neck, “I told them to hurry and they said they’d catch up…”

“You can’t be so reckless with little kids, gramps!” Hanako got angry, “They will say anything to you just to get rid of you in order to do whatever they want!”

“I’m sorry, Baby…”

“We’ve got to screw the drivers out of this!” Hanako shook her head, “They probably went outside to search for a guy, who they think kidnapped Crow!”

“Quick!” Martha interrupted Hanako’s words, “Jack, come with me!”

Jack ran outside along with Martha and there they saw a huge spider geoglyph in the sky, “Ah, that…” Martha said angrily with her heart almost falling apart because she’s losing more and more kids. She started running in the direction of the geoglyph.

“Martha!” Jack reached for Martha trying to stop her but she was already gone.

“I’m on it!” Jack heard familiar voice behind his back and before he managed to turn, he saw officer Ushio running for Martha and disappearing into the woods.

“Perfect!” Jack heard another voice coming from behind his back, only this time it was a girl, “What are we going to do now?” Hanako stood next to Jack with her hands placed on her hips; she couldn’t believe her eyes, “You put him in charge of the whole Satellite and now he can’t take care for three little boys?!?” She was shaking her head.

“I need to go, Baby!” Jack shouted and ran to his runner.

“What do you think you’re doing, Jack?”

“This Birthmark is telling me that something bad will happen. I have to go!”

“Jack, wait!” Hanako shouted hoping her begging will make up his mind.

“Baby!” He shouted proudly, “Don’t try to stop me and most of all”, he looked at her eyes, as she was looking like a stray dog left on the streets in the middle of the rain, “Don’t look at me like that!”

“Jack, it’s too dangerous!” Hanako tried to explain.

“Nothing’s too dangerous for the true King!” He clenched his fists and started his engine.

“Jack!” Hanako called for him once again when he looked at her annoyed because he was expecting her to beg him to stay but he was surprised by her words, “Just be careful…” She murmured in the end giving up on her idea of stopping him, knowing how it’s not possible.

“Just take care for the House until we come back!” Jack smiled and drove away while Hanako was looking up at the purple clouds, thinking about that giant spider’s geoglyph engraved into the sky…

* * *

 _“Here I am again”,_ Yusei thought to himself, “Before the Earthbound God at my wit’s end…” He started cursing himself for being in a battle with children standing few meters next to him and he can’t do anything to protect them… Takuya was up on the building with Ushio and Martha, looking at his duel with Rudger but Jun and Micchan managed to sneak into the purple fog somehow and just now, when Rudger managed to call for his Earthbound Immortal, those kids’ souls will be sacrificed to the god…

“Your Earthbound Gods are not that much!” Yusei heard Jack’s voice coming from somewhere near. When he raised his head, he saw Jack’s D-Wheel jumping from behind the rocks straight to the kids.

“Jack!” Yusei called for him when Martha and Ushio started shouting after him.

“Jack!”

“Jack! Please, the children!” Martha was holding her necklace’s pendant in her hand, squeezing it occasionally.

“Just leave it to me! Jack Atlas never betrays the same kids who cheer him on!” He managed to break through the purple fog and just after his runner landed, he ran to little kids, hugging them tight into his embrace. As he was guarding them with his own hands, his Birthmark started glowing and kids’ souls were safe when Rudger called for his Earthbound Immortal.

“It’s here!” Yusei shouted.

“That…” Aki murmured in fear with her eyes wide open, “T-that’s the Earthbound god?!” Her body was shivering, as she was looking at the Earthbound Immortal rising from the ground.

“Yusei, hurry up and crash that Dark Signer!” Jack shouted with his fist in the air and a smile on his face.

“Yeah, you can count on it!” Yusei smiled back to him drawing his next card.

“You shouldn’t be speaking so easy”, Rudger said, “How are you going to crush my Earthbound God?”

“Just you watch me!” Yusei was still keeping a smile on his face.

“My god’s effect stands tall above all else!” Rudger laughed, “Just like the Ultimate Energy, Momentum!”

“What are you talking about?” Yusei was frightened.

“How amusing that the person duelling against me in a vie for a five thousand years supremacy is none other than Dr. Fudo’s son!”

“Dr. Fudo? You know my father?!” Yusei shouted looking for an explanation.

“Know?” Rudger hissed, “Seventeen years ago, I was in the Momentum Development Section, M.I.D.S., spearheaded by your father, Dr. Fudo!” He explained, “As Dr. Fudo’s assistant, that is…”

“You were what?!?”

“And there was one more assistant!” Rudger added, “My younger brother, Rex Godwin!” He was looking at Yusei all shiver in fear, so he got the need to tell him more about his father’s past, “Finally, I’ll tell you one more thing. It was later that Dr. Fudo declared that development on Momentum be stopped. Momentum would often experience a negative rotation, which had the doctor worried that a serious incident could occur but the sponsors and Neo Domino City didn’t stand for that and development was handed over to me instead!” He looked at Yusei with evil spreading from his eyes and grabbing Yusei’s soul into its embrace, “And then…” Rudger finally came to an end of his story, “Zero Reverse happened!”

“No way… You intentionally set off that explosion?” Yusei asked.

“Who knows…” Rudger’s evil smile refused to confirm that.

“Yusei, don’t listen to him!” A light female voice was heard, so Yusei turned around to see Saiga with Mikage and the twins nearby but there was someone else with them, “You can’t believe his words, he’s crazy and evil!” Hanako was trying to pop out from behind Mikage and Saiga, pulling them aside and moving forward to see what’s going on down there on the streets.

“Baby?” Yusei was surprised, “Why are you all… Saiga? Mikage?”

“There’s no time for explaining”, Saiga shouted to Yusei, “You have to defeat Rudger!”

“Yeah, show him what you’re made of!” Hanako raised her hands into the air, so Yusei turned his attention back to Rudger.

“Answer me! Why did you do that?! What in the hell went on between you, Godwin and my father?!”

“You don’t have enough time left for me to answer that question”, Rudger said smiling, “Earthbound God Uru! Attack Yusei directly!”

“Yusei, no!” Hanako shouted.

“This one attack will destroy you!” Rudger shouted while his spider started puking the spider thread out of his mouth.

“Trap card, open!” Yusei shouted activating his card, “Iron Resolve! By halving my Life Point, this will reduce Battle Damage to 0 and end the Battle Phase!” He said as his Life Points dropped down to 800.

“I place a card face-down to end my turn”, Rudger murmured and it was now Yusei’s turn when a building started shaking because of the strong attack of Rudger’s god. They could deal real damage even though it was just a duel.

“Oh, no!” Hanako shouted.

“What is it, young lady?” Mikage was the first one to ask.

“Takuya!” She shouted pointing with her finger to the building across the one they were standing on.

“He’s in danger!” Saiga shouted looking at the scene and their actions made Yusei look to their direction, so he saw Takuya holding himself tight for the broken roof of the building but soon Martha and Ushio came up there and started calling for the little boy.

“Takuya!”

“Martha! Mister Ushio!” Takuya’s voice reached the surface when he saw both of them coming to the rescue.

“I’m coming for you, my child”, Martha said as she was approaching Takuya but the earthquake was harder than she expected and she lost balance and fell down, so her body slide to the very edge of the roof where Takuya was.

“Forgive me…” Takuya said when Martha grabbed him, “I just wanted to help everyone out…”

“It’s OK”, Martha shook her head, “You have to be brave in order to join the Security!” The ground started shaking as Martha took Takuya to another side of the roof where officer Ushio was waiting.

“Martha!” Ushio shouted reaching for Martha’s hand.

“Take him”, she said giving up on the child while Ushio grabbed Takuya into his arms. Martha’s body slide down back to the very edge of the roof before Yusei called for her.

“Martha!”

“Martha, no!” Hanako shouted after Yusei, with tears in her eyes.

Martha tried to climb up as the building was slightly leaned towards the ground, ripped out of the street because of the earthquake after the Earthbound Immortal was summoned to the field.

“Martha! Don’t you give up!” Ushio started trying to wake up the courage from inside of her heart.

“Take care for Takuya”, she shook her head with a smile on her face, “You’re Takuya’s hero after all!”

“Hero, my foot!” Ushio got angry, “I… I would insult you people from Satellite…”

“Martha!!!” Yusei and Jack shouted looking up at the building.

“You were such good boys”, she turned her head to face both of them, “And you took care for Hanako! I’m so proud of you all!” She tried to smile, “I’m sure you will build the bridge between the city and Satellite!”

“Martha, you can’t let go!” Hanako was crying out her tears.

“Martha!!!” Yusei shouted with tears in his eyes while all of them watched as Martha fell over the edge of the building straight into the purple flames, disappearing in the process with her eyes closed.

“Yusei, hurry up and get rid of that damn Earthbound God!” Jack shouted with tears in his eyes. He just couldn’t believe Martha was gone, “Martha… She’s…”

“Yusei!” Ushio shouted still keeping Takuya in his hands, “Takuya and I are fine! Just win the duel already!”

“I’m counting on you, Ushio!” Yusei said with strong commitment burning in his eyes.

And it was the last scene Ushio remembered as he was now standing in Martha’s House with Takuya underneath his legs begging for forgiveness. His friends Jun and Micchan were standing next to him and crying out loud.

“I’m sorry! It’s my fault! It’s because Martha tried to save me!” Takuya cried.

“I’m sorry!” Ushio fell on his knees, “I was right there, and yet this still happened! If I had just grabbed Martha’s hand then…”

“Oh, won’t you just stop blaming yourselves for this?!?” Hanako shook her head with her hands crossed, “We won’t go anywhere grieving like that!”

“No, it’s not your fault, Mister Ushio!” Micchan said placing his hands on Ushio’s shoulder.

“If we just hadn’t gone there to begin with…” Takuya started and all three boys started crying louder than before, so Jack got fed up of it.

“Enough! Quit your bawling! It’s not all your faults!”

“That’s right! It’s not your fault!” Yusei agreed, “It’s all those Dark Signers’ fault!”

“And just what was I saying few seconds ago?!?” Hanako got angry but Yusei ignored her voice.

“They not only took Martha but even Rally and the others…”

“And Crow!” Hanako shouted again hoping how she’ll get someone’s attention now but Yusei seemed to be deeply drowned in his thoughts about Rally and how he disappeared from his hands turning into the dust after that duel with Rudger.

“In order to get Martha, Rally and everyone else back”, Yusei started again, “We need to defeat them! Dark Signers!” His words made everyone glue their eyes to him.

“Wait a second!” Dr. Schmidt was the one to talk know because he just got here to be put in charge for the kids now that Martha’s gone, “Do you mean Martha hasn’t died?”

“Yes, I do!”

“How could that be?” Doctor was curious.

“Right now, things inconceivable are occurring here in Satellite and in the City! The geoglyph that appeared there, the mysterious fog covering Satellite, the people who disappeared… Martha, Rally, everyone else… All of it is the Dark Signers’ doing!”

“Then you mean to say that Martha will come back if you defeat the Dark Signers?” Doctor came to a conclusion and Yusei nodded.

“Is that true, Yusei?” Takuya asked with other kids shouting for Yusei’s name with worried looks on their faces but hope residing inside of them. Hanako was also looking at him, trying to figure out whether he’s lying or he really means it.

“Yes, I think so”, he said leaning towards the kids and placing his hands on their shoulders, “We’re going to go beat the Dark Signers, so you guys have to stop crying! We’ll bring Martha back!”

Kids smiled slightly to his statement, so Doctor Schmidt was ready to take the kids to bed after he talked to Yusei before he left.

“Our preparations are in order, so we will be heading out”, Yusei explained to the Doctor, “We can see ourselves off!”

“We’re counting on you, Yusei!”

“Okay now”, Yusei nodded, “You guys better get to sleep!” He placed his hand on Jun’s head playing with his hair.

“Uh-huh!” Kids shouted happily, “Good night, Yusei!” After they all left his sight, he shut the door, returning back to the dining room where everyone else was waiting.

“Just what was that for?!” Hanako ran to him shouting and kicking his chest with her fists, “You can’t just lie to the kids like that!” Tears were rolling down her face.

“Yusei!” Jack shouted after he saw Hanako’s reaction, “Was what you said true?”

Yusei took Hanako’s wrists and squeezed them tight in his fists, “Stop with that!”

“Yusei…” Hanako murmured with tears in her eyes. She couldn’t tell if it was because of the pain within her heart or the physical pain from Yusei’s touch.

“Yusei!” Jack shouted again, “You said if we defeat the Dark Signers, the people who disappeared will come back!” He was looking at Yusei looking for an explanation, “Well?!?”

“I…” Yusei bowed his head still holding Hanako’s wrists, “I don’t know…”

“I knew it!” Hanako shouted trying to free herself from Yusei’s touch, “You liar! You can’t believe in the better future while living in a lie!”

“What did you say?!” Ushio lost his senses when he approached Yusei. Dragging Hanako away from him, he grabbed Yusei’s shirt under his neck and brought him closer to face his eyes.

“I just wanted to believe that…” Yusei murmured with his head bowed.

“Dammit!” Jack kicked the table with his fist and sat down, trying to calm himself.

“What are you trying to pull, telling lies to patch the situation like that?” Ushio was angry.

“Cut it out!” Rua jumped in placing his hands on Ushio’s, trying to move him away from Yusei, “Yusei’s sad about Martha, Rally and the others being gone, too!”

“Dammit!” Ushio backed down and silence started spreading around the room...

“I believe in what Yusei said!” Izayoi Aki spoke after a while, “If we defeat them, everybody will come back, I’m sure!”

“You just want to think that way because you feel responsible for what you’ve done!” Jack said with no feelings of guilt, so his words touched Aki’s heart.

“Maybe so”, she looked at Jack, “But this is different! I want to duel to protect all of you! I want to believe that everyone’s futures are linked to the end of all this duelling!” Aki added in the end and seeing a girl want to fight like that, Hanako was moved by her words, so she wanted to do the same.

“I want to help, too!” Hanako was the first one to stand up for herself and the others with her fists clenched, she raised her head ready for the war.

“She can’t do that!” Aki said immediately afraid for Hanako’s life because she was not one of the Signers and could get herself killed in this battle. It was something more inside of her, something that just couldn’t let Hanako go with Yusei and the others to that battle… It was like she was slightly jealous for not being the only girl in Yusei’s life. She figured out Hanako could only be good with her hands and was only a mechanic by the way she dresses and since she was always around Yusei when he was fixing his runner, she came to a conclusion how Hanako can’t do much more than that. Everyone was looking at Aki like they were looking for an explanation for hers sudden reaction so she added, “She’s just a mechanic, not a duellist!” She also remembered seeing Hanako and Yusei through the window fixing Yusei’s runner before the dinner was ready.

Hanako was at first ready to accept that fact, so she backed down but after few moments, she looked at Jack and Yusei with tears in her eyes, “Guys, please?!”

“But it’s true! I mean… Look at her!” Aki was persistent thinking how Jack and Yusei are reconsidering her statement, “It’s obvious she can’t duel! She doesn’t even have a deck!”

“Aki, don’t…” Jack tried to stop her in the middle but it was too late; Yusei was just silent, looking at them arguing.

“She should stick to her business and leave this to us Signers!” Aki was looking at Hanako, who was now letting her tears flow down her face while looking at Aki with her heart almost broken. She was holding her wrench while shaking; hurt and jealous, her feelings were split apart with anger and fear mixed together and it was like her body wanted to throw that wrench and kick Aki’s ass but she couldn’t do that because there’s something that was true in that statement of hers: she was not a Signer like the others and would eventually got herself killed by the purple fog if she tried anything reckless. Still, she wanted to help.

“Yusei…” She was looking at him with her eyes begging for his reaction but he was still silent.

“It’s too dangerous, Baby”, he said in the end.

Hanako opened her mouth to answer back but she changed her mind trying to calm herself down and without even trying to stop her tears, she just ran away because she couldn’t handle it any more, shutting the door behind her, so that the sound of a shut can be heard in the entire House.

“Hanako, wait!” Jack tried to reach her, “Come back here!” Aki was looking at Jack desperately trying to stop Hanako, so she was confused by his actions not knowing what’s going on, when Jack decided to speak up.

“What was that for?” Aki was confused.

“Just leave her…” Yusei murmured.

“Oh, Aki…” He sighed, “Look what you’ve done!”

“What?”

“Hanako indeed is a duellist…” Yusei explained.

“Yeah, one of the best I know!” Jack added.

“Wait, Yusei! You duelled her?”

“Once in the past, yes…” He said, “But a lot has changed since then and I cannot imagine how strong she became now, left alone in Satellite with only her runner and her deck!” He got lost in his thoughts about his childhood and Hanako. He remembered the day she came to him and sat on his runner, trying to convince him to show her his strategies; they would duel over and over again until she won her first duel ever. She was so thrilled about it that she would leave her wrench aside and make up her strategies day and night…

“Hey, Yusei!” Jack shouted to wake him up from his daydreaming, “We don’t have time for remembering the past! Hanako ran away!”

“Just leave her, she won’t leave this House just like that”, Yusei said calmly.

“How can you be so calm in a situation like this?!” Jack came to him and pulled his shirt.

“You know her, Jack”, Yusei murmured looking at Jack’s fist tightly holding his shirt and then he moved his eyes to face Jack, “She needs to be alone now!”

“Fine!” Jack hissed letting Yusei go!

“Besides, we should stick to our business, too!” Yusei said, “We need to seal that gate and defeat the Dark Signers!”

“Fine!” Saiga smiled, “I’ll take care for the kids, so you just do your thing!”

“If these Crimson Dragon Birthmarks want to duel against the Dark Signers, then there’s no point in going around with everyone sticking close like turds on a goldfish!” Jack shouted, “We need to seal all of the gates by the sunset!”

“But we just got our group together…” Rua said.

“Jack may have a point!” Yusei answered looking at Rua and Ruka, “Even if we’re apart, it won’t change the fact that we’re in this together!”

“Yusei…” Ruka was sad and worried.

“We’ll put an end to this!” Yusei smiled to the twins, “We’re leaving first thing in the morning!”

* * *

Night came and everyone went to sleep, so that they can face the Dark Signers tomorrow with their full strength. Yusei was struggling to fall asleep because he was thinking about Hanako and where she went after Aki obviously hurt her feelings. He was mad at himself to stay silent and not say something to Aki but he thought how Hanako should stand for herself… Even though he used to fight for her and she had Jack and Crow by her side, he wanted to see how much she’s changed and how far can she go by herself. He decided to see her before he leaves, just to make sure she’ll stay here with Saiga and won’t do anything reckless, so he exited his room and passed the hallway when he heard Hanako’s voice coming from Takuya’s room.

“Lullaby-ing the kids again?” Hanako heard steps behind her back coming closer to her.

“What do you want?” She whispered turning her head to face him still angry because of what happened.

“Would you go out with me?”

“Excuse me?!?” She screamed whispering not wanting to wake up the kids.

“Go out-side with me”, he cleared his throat when he realised his words could be interpreted in a different way than he actually meant.

“Oh, OK”, she said planting a kiss on each kid’s forehead and exiting the room. She knew this is not a place to talk to him about what happened, so she had no other options. He took her to the roof of the House, so that they can talk in peace, just the two of them. She looked at the dark sky trying to find a star but it was all covered in darkness with nothing but a dark purple clouds covering the sky and floating over Satellite. She crossed her hands without saying a word, waiting for his move.

“Ako…” Yusei whispered trying to say something.

“She’s right, Yusei”, she started talking without hesitation. “All I can do is just fix things!”

“She didn’t know”, Yusei tried to defend Aki.

“Either way”, Hanako looked at him, “She’s right! I’m just a mechanic, not a duellist! I should stick to my job and stop thinking about helping others through my duelling…”

“She may be right but she was wrong about one thing”, Yusei looked back at Hanako with a smile, “You’re a great mechanic! But you’re also my friend and a duellist! Maybe one of the best I’ve ever known!”

“But I’m not a Signer!” She shook her head.

“Do you trust me, Baby?” Yusei asked her all of a sudden, moving their conversation away from the subject.

“What?!”

“Do you trust me?”

“You know I do…” She whispered.

“Then wait for me here!” He smiled happily, “Take care for the kids! Saiga will help you! After we defeat the Dark Signers, I’ll be back and everything will be just like before!”

“Yusei…” She sighed, “I managed to find you after two years and now you keep getting away every single day…”

“I’ll be back!” He said as he approached her.

“Promise me!”

“I promise!” Yusei said like he already prepared his answer.

“Here!” Hanako pulled a metal flower from her pocket, “Take this!”

“Wait, Baby…” He was surprised to see that flower in her hand, “It was my…”

“Just take it!” She looked up to face his eyes, “Once this is all over, you’ll give it back to me! That way I’ll be sure you’ll come back to us!”

“You bet!” Yusei nodded taking the flower from her, “We should head back to our rooms. It’s getting dark and cold!”

“It’s always like that”, Hanako giggled and they both went downstairs to their rooms, resting until the morning came… Hanako decided to say goodbye to all of them before they depart, so she ran outside of the House. Rua and Ruka were in Ushio’s roofless jeep with Mikage’s car right next to them; she was driving Aki with her while Jack and Yusei both had their runners.

“Jack, please be careful!” Hanako whispered looking at him.

“The true King never goes to a war to die but to be victorious!” He said proudly with his fist up in the air and his muscles all pumped up. His actions made Hanako laugh, so he was relieved to see her like that after Aki told all that stuff to her last night.

“Will you be okay, Rua, Ruka?” Yusei asked looking at officer Ushio’s car.

“Yeah!” Ruka nodded.

“I’ll be tagging along, after all!” Rua said proudly just to show Yusei how he can take care for his twin sister.

“Perfect!” Yusei smiled.

“From this point on, your own skills are the only thing that’ll decide the outcome!” Jack shouted.

“Just be careful, guys!” Hanako shouted with a smile, trying to hide the sadness inside her heart.

Seeing her like that, Yusei left his runner for a moment and approached Hanako, “We’re going now!”

“Yusei!” She whispered, “I can’t lose you again…” She shook her head feeling how she’s not brave enough for this, “I wouldn’t stand that pain… First Crow and now…”

“I know!” He smiled, “That’s why, when this is all over, I’ll make sure I return this to you!” He pulled her metal flower from his pocket, showing it to her while Aki was looking at them with feelings of guilt. She felt embarrassed for the words that came out of her mouth but she felt like this is just not the moment to apologize to Hanako, so she promised herself to win this battle and return back just so that she can say Hanako how sorry she was for everything that happened.

“Yusei!” Hanako closed her eyes and pushed her body to Yusei, trapping herself in his embrace and pulling his jacket into her fists with her head resting on his chest.

“We will save the world, Baby!” He whispered wrapping his arms around her, “So you and the kids can have a normal life as legal citizens! A better future is coming and I’ll make sure to bring it to you!”

“Just bring your ass back home…” She whispered not wanting to let go but before she knew it, they separated, as Yusei returned to his runner.

“Everyone!” He shouted starting his engine, “Let’s be sure to win and meet again!”

“I wish you good luck in battle!” Jack said as he and Yusei both drove away deep inside of Satellite, so everyone else went to their meeting point with the Dark Signers while Hanako returned to the House to help Saiga take care for the kids...


	14. Do it for the Kids

11th Chapter

(following anime episodes 51, 52 and 53)

**Do it for the Kids**

Deep inside the woods of Satellite, at Martha’s House it was more peaceful than before. With only few children left and Saiga, who helped Doctor Schmidt to take care for the kids, loud noise of children playing was the last thing that could be heard...

“Doctor, have You seen Hanako anywhere?”

“If she’s not here in the House, she’s probably outside with her runner”, Doctor seemed pretty calm, thinking about Hanako’s absence.

“How come You know her so well?” Saiga was interested in some more details about Hanako’s life since Yusei never talked much about her.

“She was raised by Martha together with Yusei, Jack and Crow. I practically watched every their step up until now…”

“I see”, Saiga murmured.

“She’s quite an interesting girl”, Doctor Schmidt smiled, “She’s stubborn at times and sometimes can act on impulse because she lets her emotions guide her actions…”

“I figured that much”, Saiga chuckled.

“Still… She has a heart of gold”, Doctor ended.

“She grew up on the streets without parents and yet she managed to keep a smile on her face”, Saiga was amazed by Hanako’s strength.

“But it wasn’t always like that, you know”, Doctor suddenly changed his facial expression.

“What do You mean?”

“At first, she was very cheerful child but all of a sudden, she got rejected by other kids, so she stopped smiling and wouldn’t talk at all”, Doctor got lost in the past, “She was just running around, collecting tools and gears without saying much. And I think she even suffered deep down inside but never showed it to us…”

“I had no idea”, Saiga looked shocked and surprised.

“Yeah”, Doctor nodded, “She stayed away from others probably because she thought they would only hurt her but one day, when Yusei and Jack interfered, she started socialising again!”

“I see”, Saiga laughed, “That Yusei really is something!” He shook his head with a smile on his face.

“He’s a bright kid”, Doctor Schmidt agreed, “Now if only Hanako would let him and Jack to be by her side just like before…”

“You know what? I’ll go look for her!” Saiga said thinking about how she’s gone for a while now, so he left the Doctor alone in the dining room and went outside. When he got near the House’s entrance, he saw Hanako sitting on the ground and looking at her runner. She was holding a wrench in her hand, shouting to herself.

 _"Stay here, Baby! Take care for the kids!”_ She was mimicking someone else’s voice, _“We will win this battle and bring better future to Satellite!”_ She rolled her eyes while doing grimace with her face not even trying to calm down, “Sure! Without me!” She shouted angrily while trying to tighten few screws on her D-Wheel with strong and short moves.

Saiga couldn’t help but laugh seeing her like that, “Why didn’t you tell them how you feel?”

“Saiga?” She got scared because she didn’t hear him approaching her. Silence suddenly took over, as she needed some time to come to herself and when her heart started beating normally again, she continued, “And what can I do? I’m not a Signer and I’d just by in their way…”

“But you still want to help?!”

“How? By getting myself killed?” She sighed leaving her runner alone still holding her wrench.

“Look, Baby…” Saiga started but just when he decided to continue with his words, Hanako’s runner started producing strange noises, so he looked at the direction the sound was coming from, “What’s that?!?”

“Blackbird!” Hanako shouted when she jumped up to see the screen of her runner.

“Blackbird? Isn’t that Crow’s runner?”

“Yeah”, she nodded, “It looks like it’s moving…”

“What?!?”

“I set a transmitter on Crow’s runner”, she smiled, “So that I can keep an eye on him!”

“Wow, I’m surprised he let you do that!”

“He doesn’t know”, she just answered calmly.

“Great! And then I’m the stalker”, Saiga shrugged.

“You’re not guilty if you don’t get caught”, she smiled to Saiga starting her engine.

“Just where do you think you’re going?”

“To find Crow”, she said strictly, “And to see what happened to the kids under the bridge because Blackbird is heading that way!” She was looking at the screen again.

“Well”, Saiga smiled, “I guess there’s no point in trying to stop yo-”

“Too late for that, Cowboy Hat!” Hanako shouted looking behind her back to see Saiga, whom she left far behind speeding up and heading to Daedalus Bridge; with that speed it won’t take her long to reach her destination… On her way there, she was looking around the city seeing how it’s completely deserted, with no one around. “Looks like that purple fog took every single person in Satellite…” Her face got worried as her heart felt strong sadness killing her from the inside. When she reached her home, she saw Crow on his knees with his head looking up into the sky and his voice screaming; he was shouting his heart and soul out as loud as he could; screaming in pain, so Hanako assumed he figured out children are gone.

“It’s not possible…” Crow murmured and started shouting in pain, letting his voice break.

“Stop that!” He heard someone trying to scold him, “You’re going to break my ears if you keep on like that!”

Crow turned his head over his shoulder just to see Hanako sitting on her D-Wheel and looking down at him, “They’re gone, Baby”, he was sobbing like a child.

“The kids?” Hanako was confused and Crow nodded, so she explained, “Yeah, I know…” She bowed her head remembering the screams that were spreading through Satellite when that purple fog appeared.

“Wait a second!” Crow shouted approaching Hanako still a bit confused, “Are you alive, Baby? Is that really you?”

“Yes, it’s me, Crow”, she shouted in disbelief, “You’re not hallucinating!”

“Are you sure?!?” He started touching her with his hands to make sure she’s real.

“Crow, I’ll disable your runner if you don’t stop with this!” She was waving with her hands, trying to move Crow’s hands away from her.

“OK, not a dream then!” Crow sighed, “What happened here?”

“I wanted to ask you the same question!” Hanako looked at him trying to get the answer.

“I was duelling Yeager when all of a sudden, that fog appeared and everyone started disappearing…”

“Yeager?”

“Yeah! I think he’s planning on something…”

“Probably something connected to Godwin”, Hanako’s face looked serious while she was thinking about it but then she remembered something else, “How did you survive if everyone else is gone?”

“I guess my will to live was stronger than that fog”, he rubbed his neck with a chuckle.

“Crow, I’m serious!” She got angry because he was trying to joke with her in a situation like this.

“I found a shelter in the fridge!”

“You hid yourself in the refrigerator?” She giggled.

“It was the first thing that came to my mind”, he smiled with embarrassment.

“I’m just joking, you silly! I’m so happy to see you alive!” She moved away from her runner and ran into Crow’s embrace hugging him tight while his look was searching around their surroundings to see if he’ll find anything interesting.

“It’s so lifeless here…” He murmured.

“I was hoping the fog didn’t reach here but it looks like I was wrong”, she fought the tears gathering in her eyes.

“Baby!”

“I hoped I was wrong but… It’s all Dark Signers’ fault! They destroyed everything! Martha and Rally are gone because of them and now all our kids got swallowed by that fog and…”

“Wait”, Crow’s eyes widened, “Martha and Rally?” He took her upper arms and moved her away to meet her eyes.

“Yeah… The same happened to them”, she let few tears down her face, “I thought your soul was also sacrificed…”

“Nah!” Crow was slightly taken away by his thoughts when he finally shouted all of a sudden, “There!” He pointed to the sky, so Hanako looked up when she saw a geoglyph of a Giant engraved into it, “The Dark Signer is there! I’m going for him!”

“I’m coming with you!” Hanako shouted without thinking and Crow just nodded, so they both started driving away from their home; speeding towards the sign of the Giant,”It’s where Kiryu is waiting!”

“Kiryu?” Crow didn’t hide his surprise.

“Yeah! Yusei should also be there by now!” She explained when she saw someone’s runner in front of them, as they were moving closer to their destination, “Look! Over there!” She pointed to that unknown person with her finger.

Crow looked at her hand as he managed to react just in time. He pushed his runner forward and jumped from the rock in front of the unknown runner to force him to stop.

“Yusei?!?” A stranger exclaimed while Hanako tired to place her runner behind him just so he won’t escape with Crow in front of him and her runner on his tail.

“Sorry to disappoint you but I ain’t Yusei!” Crow shouted angrily when he figured out he’s talking to the Dark Signer, “But I know who you are!” He pointed his finger to the stranger, “Bommer, how could you’ve joined the Dark Signers?”

“Bommer”, Hanako murmured in shock, “Don’t tell me Bommer also turned into…”

“Who are you guys?” Bommer was confused.

“My name is Crow and this is my little sister Hanako!”

“Foster sister!” She added shouting at him.

“Get ready, Bommer ‘cuz in Yusei’s stead, I challenge you to a duel!” Crow paid no attention to Hanako, as he was only thinking about revenge on a Dark Signer.

“Crow, we don’t have time for this! Yusei’s fighting Kiryu there somewhere!”

“Stay away from this, Baby! This is my fight!”

“You’re not a Signer, are you?” Bommer was looking at Crow still a bit confused by the whole situation.

“Shut up! It doesn’t matter if I’m a Signer or not! You guys stole what’s most dear to me!”

“Most dear?” Bommer was slightly confused

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Crow lost it completely.

“Crow, maybe he doesn’t know…” Hanako assumed trying to point it to Crow.

“How can he not know of what he’s done?!? Every single one of those dear kids that I was looking after disappeared in that black fog you guys caused!” He was shouting in despair, “Why did you drag in those innocent kids?!? If that’s how you guys do things, I’m definitely going to make you pay!”

“Make me pay?” Bommer was giggling, “It’s funny ‘cuz, you see… I must make him pay as well… I will seek vengeance on Godwin by any means necessary! Be it a path of bloodshed! My murdered siblings made me choose that path!”

“Crow!” Hanako reacted because it was obvious how Bommer is fighting for his kids just like Crow, “He’s fighting for the same reasons! You should quit this before it even starts!”

“No point in us arguing, then… You’ll beat Yusei once you beat me!” Crow was all pumped up, ignoring Hanako’s warnings.

“Quit pursuing this! I’m not going to fight against a non-Signer like you!”

“No! You’re accepting this duel, like it or not!” Crow pulled out a dark digital alarm-like clock that was glowing with green light, “Know what this is? If you refuse the duel, we both go down, right here!”

“A duel bomb?” Hanako was frightened, “Crow, you can’t! It’s too risky!” Even though she’s trying her hardest to reach Crow’s mind, he was ignoring her completely.

“If you try to run, I’ll chase you down, wherever you go!”

“Well… If you’re ready to go this far, I’ll duel you!” Bommer smiled, “To lure Yusei in!”

“I don’t think Yusei has time for this!” Crow laughed.

“But Crow…” Hanako protested, “You know how he’s like. If he sees that geoglyph in the sky, he’ll come here without even thinking!”

“But when he comes, it’ll be all over!” Crow said, “I’ll finish this in no time!”

“I’ll take you on but do you know what you’re putting yourself into?” Bommer somehow looked concerned about Crow’s life.

“You guys stole away the only place I could come home to, so I want no concern from you!”

“Fine then!” Bommer said proudly, ready to face Crow in this battle.

“Only one thing before we start!” Crow came up with an idea, “We’ll turn off our Auto Pilots for this Riding Duel!”

“Are you crazy?!?” Hanako screamed looking at them through the purple fog but Crow didn’t react. He knew how Hanako didn’t see Yusei’s duel with Kiryu and probably wasn’t aware of the danger that Auto Pilot can cause in a shadow duel. He knew how your own riding skills are the only thing that can make you win!

“You girl stay out of this!” Bommer shouted with his voice cracking like he was afraid for her life.

“I’m not leaving Crow’s side!” Hanako hissed.

“It’s fine, Baby! I can do this on my own!” Crow smiled.

“Just stay out of the purple fog lines and you should be fine!” Bommer added.

“Crow!” She shouted placing her runner near the duelling lanes making sure not to cross the line, “I’ll be here if you need me!”

“Perfect! Can we start already?!” Bommer looked a bit distracted.

“With our Auto Pilots off, the one who rounds the first corner will decide who goes first and who goes second!” Crow explained while Hanako was just watching them from afar.

“Sure!” Bommer agreed, “How should we start?”

“Here ya go!” Crow said throwing the alarm clock on the floor, so its counter can be clearly seen by both of them. Seeing the countdown of the alarm, Bommer got scared at first thinking how Crow threw that duel bomb on the floor, so after realising how Bommer reacted with fear on his actions, Crow decided to calm him down, “Relax… That’s an ordinary alarm clock. When the counter hits 0, we start!”

“What a dope!” Bommer smiled looking at the counter dropping from 20 seconds down while Crow was just looking at him with feelings of thrill and excitement, waiting for the counter to reach 0. And soon, when it finally dropped all the way down, both Bommer and Crow hit the gas and started accelerating through the duelling lanes marked by purple fog.

Looking at them both, Hanako was driving outside the lane just to make sure her life is not in danger while she was trying to catch up to their speed. She was looking at Crow struggling to catch up with Bommer’s runner, “Blackbird doesn’t have near as much horsepower as Bommer’s runner!” She said to herself, “Look at the size of that thing!”

“What?!? He plans on heading into the corner at that acceleration?!” Bommer was confused and shocked at the same time seeing Crow’s actions but not wanting to let Crow reach the corner first, he accelerated and pushed his runner faster towards the corner.

“I’m heading in!” Crow shouted.

 _“C’mon, Crow!”_ Hanako thought to herself, _“That runner is huge! It may have more horsepower but it’s-”_

“You feigned a breaking match as a bluff!?” Bommer hissed, so Hanako stopped her thoughts when Crow managed to break in half of the corner and leave Bommer’s runner behind him.

“Sure did!” Crow laughed, “If you go in a corner with that big-ass frame, you’re bound to drift farther out! Riding is just as exact a tactic as duelling!” He was excited to start this duel like this, so he hurried to continue, “I’ve got the first move for this duel! Draw! I summon Black Feather – Blue Flame Shura (ATK 1 800 / DEF 1 200) from my hand! Then I place a card face down, ending my turn!

“It’s my turn!” Bommer smiled when he saw the card he drew, “I summon Trap Reactor Double-R (ATK 800 / DEF 1 800)! Now I’ll activate the Monster effect of the Dive Bomb (ATK 0 / DEF 0) in my hand!

“Dive Bomb’s effect?” Hanako was confused since she never heard about that card, so she remembered how she can find out what it does, “Hmmm… Let’s see!” She pushed a button on her helmet, so her face shield lance started reproducing holographic pictures of Bommer’s card that included every single detail about the card, “This card is also in my base! Gears bless you, Yusei for doing this for me”, she smiled remembering how Yusei put a programme into her face shield glasses with more than two thousand cards with all the information about them, since she had a hard time memorising everything. “Oh, my hammers, what a card!” She shouted to herself after she saw how its quick effect, by sending this card to the Graveyard, swaps the ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters currently on the field, until the End phase. By doing so, Bommer’s monster was now higher in ATK than Crow’s. Hanako watched how Dive Bomb released its bomb onto Crow but he managed to dodge it.

“Crow, no!” She shouted while looking Bommer’s bomb shooting the back of Crow’s monster making a small explosion, so Crow had a hard time balancing his runner.

“What kind of impact is this?”

“The damage in this duel is real! It’s not just a hologram! You have to dodge every single attack!” Hanako was trying to help him, “You’re not a Signer, and this is too dangerous!” Here she remembered what happened to Yusei in his duel with Kiryu and how he told her everything about that battle… Crow’s runner started shaking and losing balance, so he had some hard time keeping it in place and with that acceleration, it was just the matter of time when he is going to crash. When Hanako saw Crow coming out of the fog that was produced by a bomb, Crow’s Blackbird lost the track and Crow was pushed outside of the duelling lane with the engine catapulting Blackbird into the air.

“Crow, nooo!”

“I’ll be damned if I lose here!” Crow shouted after he pushed the button to activate Blackbird’s wings while he was thinking about his children under the bridge, so sadness took over his heart completely dragging him into the strong emotion of loneliness and guilt.

* * *

On the other side of the city, Yusei was riding his runner followed by Ushio’s car with Rua and Ruka in it. They managed to win the duel against Demak, so Ruka finally got her Ancient Fairy Dragon back! Since they made to defeat one Dark Signer, it was now Yusei’s time to shine, so they were heading to Kiryu’s gate when Yusei saw a new geoglyph in the sky.

“That’s the killer whale geoglyph!”

“But there shouldn’t be a Dark Signer with the Killer Whale’s Birthmark”, Ushio was confused.

“Does that mean a new Dark Signer has been cropped up?!?” Yusei shouted with fear.

“It’s weird, Yusei! My Birthmark is not throbbing!” Ruka shouted to Yusei from Ushio’s car holding her right arm.

“Then it’s not a Signer fighting?” Rua added in confusion.

“Could it be…” Yusei’s body started shivering on the thought, “Hanako?”

“But I thought she stayed at Martha’s”, Ushio said trying to calm Yusei down.

“If she ran away to help us, she’ll get herself killed!”

“Then we have to go there!” Ruka shouted.

“Let’s hurry!” Yusei shouted back looking at them from behind his back, as he accelerated towards the geoglyph while thinking to himself, _“It’s way too dangerous for a non-Signer to be fighting a Dark Signer! Hanako… If you’re the one fighting out there, please don’t make any hasty decisions!”_

“Yusei, what should we do?” Ruka was worried.

“It’s too dangerous up ahead!” He looked at her, “I’ll go on my own!”

“What?!?” Ushio shouted in disbelief, so Ruka got the need to interfere.

“We’ll be okay, Yusei! As long as I’m here, even if we enter the geoglyph, I’ll protect Rua and Mister Ushio!”

“She’s right!” Rua agreed, “We’re friends, Yusei! Let’s go together!”

“Okay!” Yusei nodded, “I’ll go up ahead and head after the group that’s duelling… You guys can follow afterwards!” He pushed his runner and raised it up into the sky while everyone else was watching him in awe, so he was now riding his runner on the upper platform and had a better view of the duel, since the duelling lane that was marked by the fog was down below him. He was wondering about that one person duelling the Dark Signer because he looked around to see the damage the duel left behind, “The aftermath of this destruction is without a doubt the doing of a Riding Duel of Darkness”, he said to himself pushing his runner down inside the duelling lanes, “Are they nearby?”

“Oy, Yusei! Is that you?!?” Hanako shouted when she saw Yusei’s runner jumping in the duelling lane from the upper platform.

“Hanako?!? What are you doing here? It’s too dangerous!”

“Oh, quit that heroic stuff of yours, can’t you see I’m not within the duelling lane?” Hanako shook her head a bit angry but she managed to calm herself down, “I’ll be fine!”

“Wait, if you’re not the one duelling, then who is…” Yusei was confused when someone called his name.

“Yusei!” Crow shouted when he turned his head behind, so Bommer did the same.

“So it’s you, after all!” Yusei smiled but that smile soon disappeared when he saw Crow’s opponent, “Bommer?!? Your eyes… Don’t tell me that you…”

“That’ right, Yusei!” Bommer smiled, “I’ve been reborn to seek vengeance on Godwin! Through the power of the Dark Signer!”

“Yusei, Bommer is fighting for his kids!” Hanako tried to explain, shouting to Yusei from outside the duelling lane.

“Just wait, Yusei!” Bommer immediately jumped in, “You too, as Godwin’s pawn, are my enemy!”

“Bommer, Crow… You have to stop this duel right now!” Yusei protested, “Leave duelling with the Dark Signers to us Signers!”

“Here they go again…” Hanako sighed rolling her eyes.

“Yusei, you can plead with me all you want, but I just can’t comply with that! It’s because of them, the Dark Signers…“ Crow stopped for a moment, “That the children that were staying at my place… All disappeared!” Hearing those words, Hanako’s heart broke a bit, when she remembered what happened to their kids.

“What?!?” Yusei was shocked, “You mean, those kids are…” He remembered Crow’s kids and how they were jumping around him happily and asking him for his autograph, when he met them under Daedalus Bridge.

“I’ll take my vengeance on them! Not even you can stop me!” Crow shouted with tears in his eyes.

“Crow!” Yusei called for him worried for his life.

“They were my hope! They were me! My parents died in an accident seventeen years ago…” Crow started remembering his past, “For as long as I remembered, I’ve wandered Satellite with no place to go… I was lonely… Without any friends to love me… I was miserable… Sometimes finding food and bed, sometimes not...” Crow continued with his story while Hanako listened to his feelings, “But it was a Duel Monsters that saved me! Imagination, knowledge, intelligence… Duel Monsters gave it all to me, since I wasn’t properly taught, without any school or educations… And then I met my friends, Yusei and Jack… And Hanako was there by their side… That’s when I realised I wasn’t alone!”

“Crow…” Hanako murmured when smile appeared on her face even though tears were gathered in her eyes.

“There are plenty of kids in Satellite just like me! I want to share what I’ve learned from DM with them!” Crow added, “But the Dark Signers dashed my hopes into bits. They’re gonna pay!”

“I’ll take you on, Crow!” Bommer shouted all of a sudden, “The vengeance is the darkness of one’s heart which will never die out!”

“Enough!” Yusei shouted in desperation, “Stop this! Crow, Bommer… The wounds inflicted on your hearts are the same! That’s why you both should be able to understand each other!”

“Yusei, just stop it!” Hanako was crying because Crow’s speech opened old wounds, “I tried it already, it’s no use!”

Yusei looked at her and turned to Bommer, ignoring Hanako’s words, “Bommer, you’ve joined the Dark Signers, but I know that you’re thinking of you hometown in the depths of your heart! Was the future we tried to search for in the sky, which we both admired that on time during the Fortune Cup, just this fight?!?”

Bommer was completely silent to Yusei’s words but Crow’s heart was hurt, “Then where are we supposed to vent our anger, huh?!?”

“Crow, revenge just breeds more revenge!” Yusei answered, “Why can’t you see that?!?”

“My mind gets that! But I can’t control my heart anymore!”

“Crow…” Yusei was persistent but Hanako tried to change his mind.

“Just leave them, Yusei! This is their battle, not yours!”

“Hanako’s right, Yusei! Please understand!” Crow added, “We just have to fight now!” Crow was trying to hid the tears in his eyes, “If you’re my friend, just keep looking on… at our duel!” As he tried to remove the tears from his eyes, they were left out in the wind and fell onto Yusei’s helmet, leaving the trace of water down his lance.

“Fine!” Yusei had a hard time accepting this situation, “I’ll see this duel between you two to the end!”

“Then let’s finish this!”

“Bring it on, Bommer!”

“Here I go! I draw!” Bommer started his turn, “I summon Magic Reactor AID (ATK 1 200 / DEF 900) from my hand! Next, Summon Reactor AID’s effect activates! By sending Summon, Magic and Trap Reactors to the Cemetery, I’ll summon this monster from my deck!” He pulled a card, showing it to Crow.

“Is Bommer’s ace monster coming?” Yusei murmured.

“It’s just the matter of time when the Earthbound Immortal will be summoned!” Hanako answered to him.

“And when that time comes, you should stay away from that thing!”

“I’m not afraid!” She giggled giving Yusei a wink, “I have you as a Signer to protect me!” But Yusei remained silent, not knowing how to react to that and his thoughts were interrupted by Bommer summoning his monster, Giant Bomber Air Raid and activating its Effect.

“Oh, no!” Hanako shouted!

“I’ll destroy your Silver Shield Mistral (ATK 100 / DEF 1 800)!” Bommer said when his monster started firing bullets at Crow but he managed to dodge the attack, so Bommer continued with his turn, “And now, Giant Bomber Air Raid, attack Black-Lance Blast!”

Crow pushed his runner farther away from Bommer just to make sure he’ll be safe from the attack, “Silver Shield Mistral’s effect activates! In the turn this monster is destroyed, one instance of Battle Damage to the player will be reduced to 0!”

Yusei sighed in relief, “Good!”

“Phew! He managed to survive this one!” Hanako added with a smile and it was now Crow’s turn.

“My turn! I summon Black Feather- Grand Flag Vayu (ATK 800 / DEF 0) in defence mode!”

“Alright!” Hanako couldn’t hide a smile from her face, “Now when this monster is destroyed, Crow will be able to synchro summon from his cemetery!”

“Crow, be careful!” Yusei looked at Hanako but then moved to Crow because he almost flew over the duelling lane due to the hit of the attack from Bommer’s monster.

“Just what I’ve been waiting for!” Crow laughed, “Grand-Flag Vayu’s effect activates! By removing this card from my Cemetery and a non-Tuner also in the cemetery, I can perform a Synchro Summon!”

“A synchro summon from the cemetery!?!” Crow’s actions caught Bommer by surprise.

“Darkened gales, become the wings which will soar to the Heavens! Synchro summon! Black Feather – Armored Wing (ATK 2 500 / DEF 1 500)!”

“Go, Crow!” Hanako raised both her hands into the air, leaving his runner to drive by itself.

“Next, when there are other Black Feathers on my field, this card can be special summoned from hand!” Crow shouted, “Come! Black Feather – Hurricane Gale (1 300 / 400)!”

“Have you lost your mind?” Bommer smiled, “Your monster is still no match for my Bomber Air Raid!”

“We’ll see about that!” Crow smiled back, “Armored Wing, attack!”

“This strategy…” Yusei murmured looking at Crow’s monster attacking Bommer’s but not getting destroyed.

“Armored Wing wasn’t destroyed?” Bommer was shocked.

“Armored Wing can’tbe destroyed by battle and reduces all Battle Damage to 0!” Crow explained.

“Then why did he attack in vain?” Bommer was confused.

“Yes! Crow did it!” Hanako smiled, “That wedge will finish Bommer’s monster!”

“What wedge?” Bommer asked a bit frustrated because he had no idea what’s going on.

“Armored Wing’s effect activates! By removing a Wedge Counter from a monster with wedge driven into it, it’ll reduce the ATK and DEF of that monster to 0 until the End Phase of this turn!”

“It will what?!?”

“Hurricane Gale, attack Giant Bomber Ari Raid!” Crow launched the attack, so great explosion hit Bommer’s runner and he crashed into the rocks as a fog fell over him, leaving him out of sight!

“Bommer!” Yusei shouted looking behind him while Hanako was worried for Bommer’s life.

“How’s that, Yusei?” Crow smiled when Yusei reached his runner, “I’m no Signer, but I can fight on even ground with a Dark Signer!”

“Don’t let up, Crow! Bommer won’t go down so---“

“Behind you!” Hanako broke Yusei’s sentence, so they both turned their looks over their shoulder just to see Bommer jumping out of the fog on his runner.

“Is his D-Wheel a monster?!?” Crow managed to reduce Bommer’s Life Points to 1 800 and by the effect of Speed World, he lost counters, so it was impossible for him to catch up with Crow’s runner, so he just placed one card face down to end his turn.

Bommer was angry, cursing Crow for putting him in such a trouble, “When there are no monster on my field, I can special summon this card from my cemetery! Appear now, Dark Tuner, Death Submarine!”

“He summoned a level 9 monster just like that?” Hanako was shocked, as her eyes widened.

“Next, I summon Dark Sea-Rescue!” Bommer continued with his turn while Hanako was watching carefully his synchro performance, “Wailing audible from the depths of the darkness so thick, be wrapped in the armour of the God of Death and show yourself! Dark synchro! Appear now, Dark-Flat Top!”

“A bigger monster doesn’t mean it’s better!” Crow shouted looking at Bommer’s monster.

“Yeah, Crow!” Hanako shouted with full spirit, “Show him that size doesn’t matter!” She was still driving parallel with them but was trying to stay outside the duelling lane, not to get herself into the trouble.

“I’m not done yet!” Bommer shouted, “The effect of the Dark Sea-Rescue I sent to the cemetery will allow me to draw two cards! Then Dark Flat-Top’s effect activates! This card can Special Summon one Giant Bomber Air Raid in my Cemetery, once per turn!”

“It can do that!?!” Crow looked behind to face Bommer’s monster.

“Ah, here they go all over again with their effects!” Hanako and Yusei watched as Bommer activated his monster’s effect and destroyed Armor Wing after which his monster attacked Crow’s Hurricane Gale and Crow was attacked while his Life Points dropping down to 900. By lowering his points, Crow lost the balance and his body was too tired to fix the direction of his runner, so he crashed breaking down to lighten up the hit from the crash. He felt onto the ground with his runner at its very end.

“Crow!” Yusei and Hanako shouted while she tried to come inside, to check if Crow’s alright but Yusei stopped her.

“Hanako, don’t go inside! It’s too dangerous!”

“But he needs help, Yusei!” Hanako shouted worriedly when Bommer parked his runner near them.

“It seems this match is over!”

“Crow!” He stepped from his runner trying to run to Crow but he stopped as soon as Crow shouted to him.

“Stay back!” Crow stood up, “This duel ain’t over yet!”

“Crow, how can you still move in that condition?” Hanako shouted from the above.

“Damn you Dark Signers!” Crow murmured in pain, “Until I beat you, I won’t ever surrender!”

Hanako was looking at Crow while he tried to start his engine again. His actions made her think to herself, _“It looks how his will to avenge the kids is stronger than anything! I’ve never seen Crow like this!”_

“Do you mean that D-Wheel is still functioning?!?” Bommer said.

“Don’t you ever underestimate Blackbird!” Hanako protested, “It’s Pearson’s masterpiece and I did my best to keep in a good shape!”

“Baby’s right!” Crow smiled, “And we don’t give up easily!” He managed to restart his engine, so he revved his runner, “Duel restart!”

“I place a card face-down, ending my turn!” Bommer continued with the duel.

“Do you think Crow can endure this?” Yusei asked Hanako while they were driving behind Crow and Bommer, keeping the safe distance between them, “He was badly hurt in during that fall!”

“You fell from the runner and almost died; at least he got up and restarted the duel!” She giggled, “Worrying about him is the last thing that should come from you!”

“Why am I even arguing with you?” He smiled back to Hanako, so they got distracted from the duel but then Crow left his field with only two face-down cards and ended without placing any monster on his field, so Bommer attacked directly even though Crow pointed to him how one of those cards is going to destroy all Bommer’s monsters.

“Chose wisely, Bommer!” Crow was laughing, satisfied with the outcome of this round.

“Is he bluffing?” Even Yusei was confused.

“Wait and you’ll see”, Hanako said.

“You think I’ll fall for your cheap tricks?” Bommer shouted.

“Try me!”

Regardless Crow’s warnings, Bommer attacked directly, so he used this opportunity and activated his trap and all of Bommer’s monsters were destroyed, “So it wasn’t a bluff?”

“Sorry but I, Crow-sama, have never lied a day in my life!”

“Sorry, Crow but can’t agree on that!” Hanako sighed.

“I activate my trap! Sullied Earth!” Bommer hurried to finish with his turn while Hanako searched for his card.

“Oh, no… His Earthbound God…” She whispered after reading Bommer’s card’s effect.

“What did you say?” Fear grew stronger inside Crow’s soul.

“Earthbound God is coming!” Yusei shouted looking at Hanako, “Stay away from the lane, Baby!”

“Sure, don’t worry for me!” She was looking at the souls disappearing, as they were being swallowed by the earth itself while Bommer called for his Earthbound God.

“Souls who rest in the earth, garnering such long-standing grudges! Now is time to come forth from the sullied earth and lend me power!”

“It’s huge!” Crow shouted looking at the killer whale coming out from the clouds.

“The killer whale Earthbound God, Chacu Challhua! (ATK 2 900 / DEF 2 400)!” Yusei added, “Crow, be careful!”

“It’s Crow’s turn now!” Hanako said, talking to herself, “He managed to summon Black Feather – Iron-Chain Foehn (ATK 500 / DEF 800)! But nothing seems to work! His Earthbound God is just too powerful and its effect just made it all worse!” She watched as Bommer dropped Crow’s Life Points to 100! He somehow managed to keep his head alive, but Bommer played his trap Basara, “Perfect!” Hanako rolled her eyes, “Now, once per turn, he can release one monster on his field to destroy a monster on the field with a level higher than that monster!”

“Plus the controller of the destroyed monster receives 800 points of damage!” Bommer ended his turn.

“Crow!” Yusei shouted afraid how Crow is going to lose this duel but he had a counter trap up his sleeve. His card Bomb Guard reduced Bommer’s Life Points to 800.

“Phew!” Hanako shouted, “You really made me worry there, Crow!” She smiled when Bommer’s turn finally ended, so Crow summoned his Blackwing - North Pole Blizzard (ATK 1 300 / DEF 0) and managed to synchro summon his new monster by using the effect of his Tuner monster.

“Gust fiercely, storm! Gain the will of steel and the speed of light to sublime your form! Synchro Summon! Black Feather, Lone Silver Wind (ATK 2 800 / DEF 2 000)!”

“Great! Now his monster can use its effect to destroy the Earthbound God!” Hanako exclaimed happily but as soon as he attacked, some kids’ faces showed up in the Earthbound God.

“It hurts!”

“Someone help us!”

“Kids? Who are they?” Hanako looked up to see clearly what was going on.

“What?” Crow stopped his attack.

“Help us!”

“What’s wrong, Crow?” Bommer tried to catch up to Crow, “If you’re not going to attack, I’ll go on with my turn and destroy you!”

“Bommer, don’t you see it?!” Crow wasn’t happy at all.

“The only thing I can see is the goal of victory!”

“Bommer, look up at your god!” Hanako shouted, so he looked up where Hanako pointed him.

“That’s… Impossible! Why are the people of my home in this Earthbound God?!”

“No way…” Hanako murmured, “Your siblings are in that god?”

“Without a doubt!” Bommer said with feelings of guilt after he realised how he’s been tricked by the Dark Digners, “So it wasn’t Crimson Dragon… It was Dark Signers, who killed my people! Destroyed my home…”

“Bommer!” Yusei started, “This duel has lost its purpose! Stop it right now!”

“Yusei, forgive me…” Bommer started reconsidering his decision about the revenge. He tried to quit the duel but Darkness within him took over his mind and soul, so his voice changed.

“Yusei, what’s going on?!” Hanako was worried.

“I’ve seen it before!” He explained to Hanako, “They are trying to manipulate with his mind! Crow, finish this!”

“Crow, hurry up and defeat me!” Real Bommer’s voice reached the surface, as he was fighting the darkness inside of him but Crow was hesitating now knowing what to do.

“Crow, don’t let Bommer’s wishes go in vain!” Yusei shouted after he saw Crow’s struggling.

“That’s it!” Crow came up with the idea, “I play my trap, Parasite Mind! This card allows me to activate a Permanent Trap’s effect in place of the card’s controller! So I’ll use your Basara to release my monster, destroy your Earthbound God and deal 800 points of damage to you!” Here Bommer’s Life Points hit 0 and he was defeated, “I did it!” Crow was happy, but all of a sudden, the ground started shaking and the building started falling down on Crow, so Hanako revved her engine and hurried to save Crow. She jumped from the upper platform down to him because after the duel, the fog disappeared and her soul was safe from sacrificing.

“Crow, look out!” She shouted flying on her runner towards Crow.

“Baby, no!” Yusei screamed looking at Hanako’s runner going underneath the falling building. Soon after that, he saw Bommer jumping in with his runner and pushing Crow away, so the building started falling down and covered Bommer’s body.

“Bommer!” Yusei shouted.

“Bommer! Baby!” Crow screamed after he realised what happened, so he left his runner and started running to where Bommer was left. When he and Yusei reached the ruins, they saw Bommer lying down pushed between the ruins, rocks and metals from the crashed Satellite building.

“Don’t die, Bommer!” Yusei said looking at him.

“Where’s that little girl of yours?” Bommer murmured while his body was screaming out because of the pain.

“Hanako?!?” Crow tried to call for her, looking around, so Yusei did the same but she was nowhere to be seen. Crow screamed again for her name, “Baby!”

“Baby, where are you?” Yusei shouted while his body was shivering with fear. Losing her was the last thing that he wanted to happen right now.

“HANAKO!!!” Crow screamed when Yusei saw some rocks moving away.

“Oh, just top crying like a child, Crow!” hanako’s head peaked from behind the rocks while her body was all covered in dust.

“I’m glad…” Bommer smiled looking at Hanako approaching him, “You’re safe!”

"You saved me”, she bowed her head to say her thanks to him while she tried to keep a small smile on her face even though she was sad because of Bommer’s situation.

“Why did you save us?!?” Crow cried when he saw Hanako's eyes. She was looking at hime like she was going to kill him, so he had to change his question, “I mean... Why did you save me?” “You saved the children from my home, Crow!” Bommer whispered fighting the pain, “You must save those kids. After that, raise them well!”

“I’m going to do that regardless of what you say!”

“Bommer, you can’t die here!” Hanako shouted like she was trying to scold him, “Those kids are waiting for you!”

Bommer just blinked few times turning his eyes to Yusei, “Yusei, you were right about everything! Not a thing… remains after revenge!” He was struggling to finish his sentence because of the pain he was feeling, “Yusei… Defeat the Dark Signers for me! I’m counting on you!” Yusei took his hand watching him disappear, turning into dust.

“Bommer!” Hanako let the tears cover her face, “Crow and I can’t watch all those kids alone! We need you!”

“Bommer, don’t go!” Crow screamed while his heart was falling apart.

Yusei was thinking about Bommer’s last words, “I’ll deliver on my promise with you!”

“Yusei, are you going to face Kiryu now?” Crow tried to move away from their subject and after hearing Kiryu’s name, Hanako looked at Yusei because she remembered how he has yet to duel the Dark Signer… And it wasn’t just anyone; it was his old friend from Satellite… Kyosuke Kiryu.

“Yusei…” Hanako murmured looking at Yusei while her mind tried to gather her thoughts in one place but all her emotions suddenly disappeared when Rua and Ruka called for Yusei.

“YUSEI!”

Hanako turned her head to meet twins’ eyes, “Hey, cutesies!”

“Hi, there!” Ushio raised his hand coming out of his car.

“Gramps, you’re also here!” Hanako smiled.

“Yeah, we were with Yusei before we got separated”, he answered while Rua and Ruka ran to Yusei’s embrace, so Hanako was watching them with a smile on her face thinking about the kids Crow and her raised under that Bridge.

“Yusei”, Crow murmured, “We’ll be right behind you!”

“Yusei…” Hanako murmured looking at him, as he moved away from Rua and Ruka. His face lost a smile he had just few moments ago.

“I have to go!” He looked at her while his eyes changed their glow, “My battle is just getting started!” She was looking at his eyes; there was a spark Hanako had never seen before.

“I know”, she managed to smile back at him, “Just be careful!” She knew how nothing can stop him now and the outcome of this next duel could change their entire future, so she decided to leave it in Yusei’s hands…


	15. Old Friends, New Friends Part I

Chapter 12

**Old Friends, New Friends**   
**Part I**

(following anime episodes 54 and 55)

“Yusei and Kiryu are finally going to settle things in this duel”, Crow said to Hanako while they were riding their D-Wheels and following Yusei alongside Ushio, who was driving Rua and Ruka in his car. Silence has taken over them before Crow spoke up, so Hanako moved away from her thoughts straight into reality. With Crow on her right side, it was easier to turn the attention to him, so she looked at his eyes worriedly.

“Yeah”, she saddened her face, “Can you imagine what this means to Yusei?” She looked up at the tower seeing Kiryu patiently waiting for his prey.

“It’s like it was yesterday”, Crow murmured, “Our precious gang, our Team Satisfaction was destroyed just like that…!”

“To think it will all come to this…” Hanako got lost in her thoughts; she didn’t know much about their gang and why they split up, because Crow and Yusei never wanted to talk much about it. Well, Yusei being Yusei, he didn’t talk much at all, while Crow just wanted to forget everything and start all over again. While she was wondering what really happened between them and why Kiryu held so much grudge on Yusei, Ruka and Rua were arguing in the car.

“I wonder if Yusei will be OK”, Ruka said worriedly.

“Yusei will win for sure!” Rua shouted happily to cheer up his twin sister, so she just nodded giving him a smile in return.

“Well… He can’t afford himself to lose now”, Ushio added when Kiryu and Yusei rushed with their runners to each other and it looked like they are going to crash frontally.

“What are they doing?!?” Rua shouted almost jumping from the car.

“Just leave them!” Crow smiled.

“It’s their own way of communication”, Hanako said suddenly stopping her runner in the middle of the road and, since no one was expecting that, they just passed by her but managed to break few meters farther.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Crow asked looking behind his back to catch Hanako’s eyes.

“I don’t think we should god any farther…” She shook her head, “It’s too dangerous!”

“She’s right, Crow!” Ushio shouted.

“Well… We can’t stay here either”, Crow shrugged looking at Yusei, who stopped his runner just before meeting Kiryu’s and turning it to the side, while Kiryu did the same. Standing next to each other now, they both started their conversation.

“It would seem that it’s finally time for us to settle the scores!” Kiryu shouted to Yusei while they were standing runner to runner, looking at each other’s eyes.

“Kiryu…” Yusei murmured looking back at him.

“I see you brought our fourth musketeer!” Kiryu laughed looking at Crow when he saw Hanako on her runner right next to him, “Even our little sister is here!”

“I’d say I’m glad to see you alive, Kiryu”, Hanako started, “But I’m not even sure if you’re even living!”

“Smart little girl”, Kiryu hissed, “I’m glad you’re here, so that you can see me crushing Yusei to death!”

“Sorry to disappoint you, Kiryu, but not gonna happen!” Yusei shouted to move Kiryu’s attention away from Hanako when his thoughts started rushing through his mind, _“You would never abandon your friend, Kiryu… Just what happened to you?”_ Yusei remembered that one time that Kiryu saved his life while he was looking Death straight in the eyes, hanging from the building and struggling to save himself. Yusei remembered that day, when they tried to take over the last Satellite district, M. They were duelling another gang, so that they can be true leaders of duelling, but one of the guys Yusei encountered, managed to pull Yusei over the fence, almost killing him by fall, _“You were never like that! You were my friend! And that’s why in this duel, I’m going to save you!”_ It was Kiryu that saved him, not wanting to abandon his friends, Kiryu gave his best to pull Yusei up and save his life, but Kiryu from before wasn’t the same Kiryu Yusei was facing right now…

“The last duel of Team Satisfaction, the one that was never realized back then, shall now begin and end, Yusei!” Kiryu answered.

“Enough talking! Let’s begin this!” Yusei said with a strong decision to make things right this time and not run away.

“My pleasure, Yusei!” Kiryu hissed looking at Hanako, “I can’t believe she’s still by your side!”

“My business with Yusei has nothing to do with you!” Hanako clenched her fists.

“If I remember correct, you were running around him like a duckling!”

“That doesn’t concern you!” She hissed back to him because his words made her angry, “Yusei was always there for me when I needed help! It’s something you will never be able to understand!” She looked at him whispering, “At least not in this state…”

“We can change that!” Kiryu’s evil smile was piercing Hanako’s soul.

“Kiryu, leave her alone!” Yusei shouted, “This is between me and you!”

“Trying to protect her again?” Kiryu chuckled, “Or is it because you’re feeling guilty for leaving her alone in Satellite?”

“Kiryu!” Yusei shouted angrily because Kiryu’s words went too far.

“Fine, fine… Let’s duel, Yusei!” Kiryu revved his engine and speeded away, so Yusei tried to catch him, as they were racing to hit the first corner and catch the first turn. When they moved away, Hanako managed to gather her thoughts together, so she was the first one to say something to others.

“We should also move away from here!”

“You’re right!” Ushio smiled.

“But where should we go?” Ruka asked worriedly, so everyone started looking around in hope they will find a good place to be.

“There!” Crow pointed to the upper platform of the street with a fence that was broken but sill served its purpose, so he started his engine and drove himself away with Ushio and Hanako following. They parked their vehicles at the spot Crow was pointing to, so he turned on his screen to connect with Yusei’s in order to live stream the duel, “Here we can all see it!”

“Perfect!” Rua shouted jumping happily but Crow remained silent; to Hanako he seemed a bit concerned about something, so she was looking at him, patiently waiting to see what will happen next.

“Yusei, you still haven’t given up on Kiryu, have you?” He murmured, so Hanako decided to speak up.

“That reminds me!” Hanako stepped in moving Crow’s thoughts away from the past, “Weren’t you the first one to leave the gang?” She wanted to know more about what happened in the past.

“Yeah”, Crow nodded, “And Jack left with me!” He started remembering it all over again, so he and Hanako got distracted from the duel, “Yusei was the only one to stay by Kiryu’s side…”

“I remember that day like it was yesterday”, Hanako smiled, “You spent more time with me and the kids instead of dominating over Satellite, so kids were happy!” Her face lightly blushed, when she remembered children’s smiles from that time.

“I know… That all domination thing Kiryu insisted on was taking too much of my time!”

“But our happiness didn’t last for long…” Hanako saddened her face when she remembered that night when Crow had to leave them again. They were teaching the kids how to play Duel Monsters, when all of a sudden, a child rushed into their house shouting something about Kiryu and how he was in trouble, so Crow acted immediately.

“It was back then, when Kiryu’s been chased by Security!” Crow started like he read Hanako’s thoughts, “I was surprised and afraid at the same time…”

“Why surprised?” Hanako raised an eyebrow.

“I thought Kiryu would never try to take down Security by his own, so his action surprised me while I was afraid for his life… Even though I left the gang, I still considered them my friends!”

“He really tried to face Security all by himself?” Hanako asked Crow wanting to learn more of what happened, because she wasn’t interested in it in the past. She was against the idea Kiryu came up with and all that duelling stuff was just too much for her taste. She was concentrated on taking care for the kids, so she decided to stay away from Team Satisfaction’s business.

“Yusei left him soon after Jack and I did”, Crow explained, “He thought Kiryu would give up on that crazy idea if he was all alone but it looks like Yusei was wrong…”

“I don’t think it’s just Yusei, who was wrong…”

“What do you mean, Baby?”

“I think it’s only natural to think that because I doubt Jack or you would think differently…” She sighed, thinking about Yusei’s decision, “I just hope he will be able to make it up to Kiryu this time…” She murmured in the end, looking at the screen of Blakcbird. Yusei was chasing Kiryu’s runner while his Max Warrior (ATK 1 800 / DEF 800) was already summoned on the field. Yusei just set three cards face-down and ended his turn.

“My turn!” Kiryu shouted, “I place a card face-down and then I play my other trap, Impulse for the Extreme! I’ll send two cards in my hand to the Cemetery in order to Special Summon two Soul Tokens!”

“Not again!” Hanako shouted, “He’s trying to reach hid Handless Combo! With zero cards in hand!” She said worriedly, “Yusei told me about this after he crashed in their first duel…”

“I wonder if Yusei’s ready for the Earthbound Immortal…” Crow watched as Kiryu released his Soul Tokens to Advance Summon the Dark Tuner, Nightmare Hand (ATK 0 / DEF 0), “It’s coming!”

“Nightmare hand’s Monster Effect will Special Summon a level two monster in my hand!” Kiryu shouted looking at Yusei from behind his back, “Come on, Infernity Dwarf (ATK 800 / DEF 500)!” Tha card in his hand was the last one remaining, so everyone knew what’s coming next.

“Zero cards in hand!” Hanako shouted watching Kiryu tune his monsters.

“When the curtain of darkness descends down, the eyes of the underworld will open! Swoop down, darkness! Dark synchro!” Kiryu shouted happily, “Show yourself, One-Hundred Eyes Dragon!”

Yusei was watching Kiryu’s dragon being summoned, “Not again!” One-Hundred Eyes Dragon attacked Yusei’s Max Warrior, reducing his Life Points to 1 900.

“His Life Points jumped down to just under half and his Speed Counters are at 0!” Crow said worriedly looking into the screen with Ushio, Rua and Ruka on the other side of his runner.

“Yusei!” Rua said worriedly while everyone was watching Yusei’s duel.

“How’s that?! Superb pain, isn’t it, Yusei?!” Kiryu was enjoying the pain he was dealing to Yusei, but Yusei chose his trap card for an answer to that.

“Trap, activate! Revival Ticket!” He shouted, “This card will destroy one card on my field for each monster destroyed in battle, recovering my Life Points equal to the Battle Damage!” Another face-down card on Yusei’s field disappeared, “Then, the monster destroyed by battle will be Special Summoned!” His Max Warrior returned to the field with full strength (ATK 1 800).

“What?!?” Kiryu hissed.

“That’s not all! The Limit Break that was just destroyed will Special Summon Speed Warrior (ATK 900 / DEF 400) from my hand, deck or Cemetery!”

“Incredible!” Rua shouted happily, “Yusei is just amazing!”

“Nice going!” Ushio added, “Resetting Kiryu’s attack like that!”

“He really calculated the duel this far?” Hanako shook her head in disbelief, looking at Crow just to get a weird look from him, “Why am I even surprised?” She smiled before looking back at Yusei. He just set two cards face-down to end his turn, so it was now on Kiryu to start with his own and while she was concentrated on the duel, Rua interrupted her.

“Hey, Baby!” He looked at her with a glance in his eyes, “Was Kiryu always this strong?”

“He was!” Hanako nodded, “He was the one to form Team Satisfaction and acted as their leader! He was just unbeatable!”

“And everyone was afraid of him”, Crow added thinking about Rua’s question.

“Were you in their gang, Baby?” Ruka asked curiously.

“I wasn’t”, Hanako smiled, “In fact, I was always against the idea of duelling for domination…”

“True”, Crow smiled, “I just figured it out way too late…”

“Don’t say that”, Hanako tried to scold him, “You stopped having fun while duelling and it was only natural to leave!”

“I know”, Crow smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of his neck. Rua and Ruka were just closely listening to their conversation trying to figure out what actually happened in the past, so they were looking at each other with confused looks on their faces.

“Oh, no!” Hanako shouted all of a sudden looking at the duel, “Yusei!!!”

Her voice made everyone turn their attention to Yusei’s duel with Kiryu. They saw Yusei’s runner losing its track and crashing into the purple fog that was meant to serve as the duelling boarder. Yusei was struggling to turn his runner back to the duelling lane but after few moments, he managed to escape the trouble and return to the track in full speed, “Phew! That was close!” Crow sighed.

“This will be your end, Yusei!” Kiryu shouted while laughing out loud but after just one turn, Yusei managed to summon his Junk Synchron (ATK 1 300 / DEF 500) and Tune it with his Speed Warrior.

“Clustering stars will call upon a new force. Become the light its path shines upon!” Yusei was calling for his monster, “Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Junk Warrior (ATK 2 300 / DEF 1 300)!”

“Damn you and your resistance!” Kiryu wasn’t happy with the direction this duel was going to.

“I’m not done yet!” Yusei smiled, “Trap card, open! Synchro Striker Unit! This card will become an Equip Card and increase the equipped monster’s attack power by 1 000 points!” After this, Yusei’s Junk Warrior was powered up by his equip card, so Yusei finally managed to attack Kiryu’s monsters and One-Hundred Eyes Dragon was finally destroyed, reducing Kiryu’s Life Points to 3 700.

“Incredible!” Ushio smiled, “One-Hundred Eyes Dragon is finally dead and buried!”

“No…”Crow said worriedly, while everyone else was celebrating, “This means…”

“Yeah”, Hanako kept a serious look in her eyes, “We’re about to witness the rising of Kiryu’s Earthbound Immortal!” She watched as Kiryu added one card from his deck to his hand by choice due to the effect of his One-Hundred Eyes Dragon, “Yusei…” She murmured in the end looking at the duel.

“I place two cards face-down to end my turn”, Yusei said, “Also, during the End Phase, the effect of the Synchro Striker Unit equipped to Junk warrior will decrease its attack power by 800 points for each of my End Phases!”

“Sheesh! It feels like a déjà vu!” Crow shouted.

“You mean it’s just like back then?” Hanako asked curiously, so Crow nodded, while Yusei tried to convince Kiryu his intentions are pure.

“Back then, Jack, Crow and I, the three of us, truly wanted to do what it took to save you!” Yusei was shouting to Kiryu while chasing his runner.

“Kiryu, you have to believe him!” Hanako jumped in the conversation between Yusei and Kiryu, “Why are you so stubborn?”

“Me, stubborn?” Kiryu stopped for a moment, “Don’t try to change my mind, Baby! I don’t need anyone’s support… Especially not from you!”

“What?!?” She was caught by surprise.

“Tell me one thing, Baby! Didn’t Yusei betray you just like he betrayed me?” Kiryu’s evil smile was piercing Hanako’s soul.

“Get straight to the point, Kiryu!” She was caught unprepared but didn’t want to show it.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Kiryu laughed, “I know what happened between the two of you! And how did you call it? A misunderstanding? How can you be so sure Yusei’s telling the truth, Baby? You think he really needed you after you left? You think he was willing to see you again?”

“Baby, don’t listen to him!” Yusei shouted because he was afraid that Hanako would believe Kiryu’s words.

“Kiryu, what are you blabbering about?” Crow shouted angrily looking at Hanako, as she now seemed to have started questioning Yusei’s acts and intentions.

“Let him speek, Crow!” Hanako said, “What else do you know?” Her body started shivering just at the thought of Yusei’s betrayal.

“What?!? Did you just forget the whole conversation about Yusei trying to save Kiryu, that we had just a second ago?!?” Crow was angry.

“Just let him speak!” Hanako answered angrily, moving her attention to Kiryu.

“It’s simple as that, Baby!” Kiryu laughed, “He can’t save anyone! Not even himself!” He pulled one hand away from his body, pointing at Yusei behind his back, “Look at him! He’s just a pathetic liar! He sold me out because he didn’t need me back then! And he did the same to you! Don’t let yourself be fooled by his words!”

“But Yusei…” Hanako started looking at them both riding duel, “Yusei said it was just a misunderstanding! He said I misheard the conversation…” She was lost, not knowing in what to believe, “Even Crow said so!”

“Crow is just keeping Yusei’s side, Baby! Can’t you see?” Kiryu was persistent, “He hurt you just as he hurt me!”

“His actions hurt me, yes!” Hanako shouted, “But we talked about it! Yusei said-”

“And you truly believe his words?” Kiryu stopped her.

“I…” Hanako was struggling, “I think I do…”

“Baby, wait!” Yusei finally decided to speak, “You can’t do this! Don’t listen to him! He’s guided by his anger, seeking for revenge!”

“And what if he’s right and you’re the one lying to me?” Hanako was shouting with tears in her eyes.

“Baby, do you really think I’d be lying to you?!?”

“Well… After everything that happened, I’m not sure anymore…” She was shaking her head, as everything that happened was still fresh. All those wounds still haven’t healed and she was still confused, questioning everything that happened in the last few day.

“Don’t be silly, Baby!” Yusei shouted back, looking at her disappointed face from the screen, “I entrusted you with all I had! I let you in my life! I enjoyed every second we spent together, building duel runners! It’s because of you that I finally managed to build my first D-Wheel! You were the one responsible!” Yusei let himself loose; not even trying to stop the tears from falling down his face. It was just like two years ago, when Hanako stopped coming to him. He felt like he was losing her again, so his heart started grieving, as she was moving away from him again, so he decided to change it! He decided to do something, he should do long ago: stop her from leaving his side ever again, “How can you throw away everything we shared? Just like that, I…”

“Yusei…” Hanako’s body was shivering and she was feeling like cold ice spikes are piercing her skin all over her body. Her voice drew Yusei’s attention, so he was waiting for her to finally speak up, “Is all you just said true?” She whispered in the end.

“I mean it when I say it, Baby!” Yusei smiled, “The bond we all share is unbreakable!”

“No, stop!” Kiryu jumped in to break their conversation, shouting back to Yusei, “You can’t be having all that bond speeches after you sold me out!”

Hanako was looking at him, rethinking everything he said, so Crow decided to jump in just to stop this conversation from going any further, because he felt like Hanako was not fully convinced yet, “He didn’t! Yusei tried to surrender to Security in your place!” Crow shouted.

“Oh, please!” Kiryu answered, “You think I’ll believe you?”

“But Kiryu, it’s true!” Yusei was powerless before Kiryu’s anger.

“Kiryu! We took care for you!” Crow said, “Jack and I drew you away while Yusei stepped out from the shadows and surrendered to Security! He said he was the one to attack Security HQ! He was trying to stand in your place; trying to protect you!”

“Liar!” Kiryu was shaking his head thinking about the past.

“He’s not lying, Kiryu!” Yusei added, “When I tried to surrender, you were already on the run, while Jack and Crow were taken in by Security… They figured you out… I was…”

“You were the one, who killed me!” Kiryu added.

“But you know yourself how defiance against Security is a first-class crime!” Crow shouted angrily.

“Even so, you had to fight with me till the end! Why did you bend to Security’s idiotic questioning?!?” Kiryu was hurt, “Those very actions mean that you sold us, Team Satisfaction, out!”

“Kiryu…” Yusei whispered.

“Say, do you know what fate awaits those who have opposed Security?” Kiryu looked at Yusei from behind his back, “In prison, I was thoroughly targeted by the guards and suffered all sorts of abuse!”

“But it wasn’t us!” Crow was persistent, “You chose that path for yourself! We were just trying to protect you!”

“Shut up!” Kiryu shouted in pain.

“We went to visit you plenty of times, but we were never able to meet you!” Crow added, “And before long, news got out that you had died…” He clenched his fists.

“It wasn’t as simple as that!” Kiryu’s voice was almost crying, “I was able to endure countless abuse, but… They took the deck, more precious to me than my life, away from me!”

“Kiryu…” Hanako started feeling sorry for him but her emotions were still making her mind be confused. She didn’t know in what to believe.

“By becoming a Dark Signer, I swore revenge against you, Yusei!” Kiryu shouted, “I’ll make you, too, go through the worst fears I had to endure! All through my Earthbound God!” Kiryu started his turn. By releasing his Infernity Demon and Infernity Necromancer from the field, he managed to Advance Summon his terrifying monster, “Descend forth! Earthbound God, Ccapac Apu (ATK 3 000 / DEF 2 500)!”

Ground started shaking and the earth started breaking apart, as Kiryu’s monster Giant raised his hand from the Underworld, trying to break to the surface. His Giant Birthmark was glowing in the same light, as the one engraved on his dark monster in form of stripes, as he was laughing menacingly. Ruka wrapped her hands around Ruka’s neck in fear for her life, while Crow, Ushio and Hanako were looking at the god’s rising.

“T-there it is!” Ushio shouted in fear.

“Yusei!” Crow shouted worriedly while Hanako was just watching the duel.

“Have another taste of my monster’s terror!” Kiryu said to Yusei, who was riding his runner behind him, hoping for the best, “My Ccapac Apu attacks you directly!”

Yusei was just looking at the Giant, thinking about the last duel he had with Kiryu before his runner broke. That fear was flowing through his veins again while his heart started beating faster than usual, _“This fear of mine… If it’s connected with the fear you experienced, Kiryu… I won’t run!”_ Yusei was thinking to himself, trying to calm himself down, _“By sending your Earthbound God to its doom, I’ll face your fears!”_

“Yusei!!!” Hanako shouted with her hands pulled together. She was looking at their duel, thinking to herself, _“If everything you said was true and you mean every word you said, you’ll be able to save Kiryu in this duel…”_

“Trap card, open! War Hero’s Command!” Yusei said like he was answering Hanako’s prayers, “During this turn, I can designate an opposing monster’s attack target!”

“What?!?” Kiryu was shocked.

“I switch your Earthbound God’s target to Junk Warrior!” Yusei decided to destroy his monster by reducing his Life Points to 2 400.

“Shielded yourself with a monster to evade that one, huh?” Kiryu was still not pleased with the turnout, “Even so, Ccapac Apu’s effect activates! When it destroys an opposing player’s monster, it deals damage equal to that monster’s attack power!”

“No!” Crow said, “Junk Warrior’s attack power is 2 500! That’s greater than Yusei’s Life Points…”

“Yusei!” Ruka shouted worriedly.

“Trap card, open! Burst Synchro Summon!” Yusei already prepared his answer to Kiryu’s monster, “It reduces one instance of Effect Damage to 0 for this turn! Then I’m allowed to Special Summon a Synchro Monster with an attack power equal to the Effect Damage reduced to 0 via the effect, ignoring Summoning Conditions!”

“ATK 2 500 Synchro Monster means…” Rua looked at Ruka, trying to calculate what Yusei had in mind.

“It’s Stardust Dragon!” Ruka said looking back at her twin brother.

“Attaboy, Yusei!” Crow shouted happily, “That’s why you destroyed Junk Warrior, huh?”

“Take flight!” Yusei shouted, “Stardust Dragon (ATK 2 500 / DEF 2 000)!”

“Did he manage to see the duel outcome this far and predict Kiryu’s moves?” Hanako was amazed by Yusei’s turns, “He is really trying hard to make it up to Kiryu…”

“Tch!” Kiryu hissed, “I play a card face-down to end my turn!”

“My turn!” Yusei said drawing a card, but Kiryu activated his permanent trap, Glowing Image of the Tutelary God.

“When an opponent’s monster attacks, I’ll be allowed to receive its attack with my Earthbound God!”

“At this rate, Stardust’s attacks will end up being aimed at the Earthbound God!” Yusei said to himself, “I activate the Speed Spell, Angel Baton! I draw two cards and send one from my hand to the Cemetery!”

“Just be careful, Yusei…” Hanako whispered.

“What I sent to the Graveyard was Stardust Xiaolong (ATK 100 / DEF 100)!” Yusei shouted, “When a Stardust Dragon is on the field, this card comes back from the Cemetery!”

“Just what are you planning to do, Yusei?” Hanako was still confused.

“I play a card face-down and end my turn!” Yusei said, leaving next turn to Kiryu.

“My turn!” Kiryu said with a smile, but Yusei activated his trap card, Isolated Guardian, “Damn you and your tricks again!”

“I equip this card to Stardust Dragon!” Yusei said, “This causes the only Battle Damage towards me to be caused through battle with Stardust Dragon!”

“You’re containing direct attacks too, are you?” Kiryu smiled, “I’ll crush your Stardust, then!” Kiryu’s Earthbound God attacked Yusei’s Stardust, but he activated his trap card’s effect.

“By sending this card to the Cemetery, it will negate a destruction via battle!” Yusei ecplained.

“Still, you’ll be taking Battle Damage!” Kiryu said revealing his trap card, “Demon Trample! This doubles the Battle Damage outside of a direct attack!”

“What?!?” Yusei shouted in surprise.

“Go, my monster! Attack!!!” Kiryu shouted, as Yusei’s Life Points dropped down to 1 400. Earthbound God started breaking the ground below its feet, so Kiryu had a hard time balancing his D-Wheel due to real damage in this shadow duel. He was riding next to the purple fog, at the very edge of losing his life but Yusei started shouting his name, riding alongside him.

“Kiryu!” Yusei moved his hand to Kiryu, showing him the palm of his hand just like Kiryu did for him three years ago, “I was wrong!”

“Yusei…” Kiryu was looking at Yusei, thinking about the past and the day he gave his hand to Yusei to save him from falling off the building. Yusei was ready to do the same for him, so his actions made Kiryu rethink everything he’s done!

“Kiryu, I was presumptuous enough to think I could save you by sacrificing myself! Just like I did with Baby! ” Yusei’s voice was falling apart but he managed to hide it away, while Hanako was listening to every word he said, shivering at Yusei’s voice speaking her name, while he continued with his speech, “But, that’s not the case! Only the unity of companions can save a companion! Their cares!”

“Yusei…” Ruka and Crow said, while Ruka’s Birthmark started glowing. She felt like every Signer is now feeling the same as Yusei, being sure how Yusei has everyone by his side, praying for his win.

“Both Jack and Crow share the same concerns, Kiryu!” Yusei continued with his Birthmark glowing, “Plus, our new friends are giving us their support! And Hanako is also by our side again! This isn’t a battle to defeat you! It’s to save you – a friend – from the Dark Signers!”

“Yusei…” His words touched Kiryu’s heart, “What does it… What does it matter now?!” He shouted losing his balance, as his runner drove away from Yusei, almost crashing into the ground.

“Kiryu!!!” Yusei’s emotions started bursting out, when his Birthmark disappeared for a second. Ruka’s Birthmark was also gone and all of a sudden, every Signer’s Birthmark showed on Yusei’s back, glowing in crimson colour and forming Crimson Dragon’s mark.

“What’s going on?!?” Rua was confused.

“Our Birthmarks are all on Yusei now!” Ruka said.

“Our wishes will cluster together and be completed!” Yusei said, trying to save Kiryu’s life, when his deck started glowing, “This is…” A card that was placed on top of his deck was calling for him and he could feel it.

“Guys, what’s going on?” Ushio was confused.

“My turn!” Yusei shouted before he drew a card on top of his deck that was glowing, “Yes, I see! This card will carry our wishes and lead to a miracle! This card will save Kiryu!” Yusei smiled, as he continued with his turn, “I summon the Tuner Monster, Messias Draconis, Savior Dragon!”

“What’s going on, guys?” Ushio was confused just like everyone else.

“What is that thing?” Hanako shouted watching Yusei Tune his monster to Stardust Dragon and Stardust Xiaolong.

“The shine of clustering stars will illuminate a new miracle! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon!” Yusei looked like he knew what he’s doing even though everyone else was a bit confused, “Arrive in light, Savior Star Dragon (ATK 3 800 / DEF 3 000)!”

“Wooow!” Rua shouted looking at Yusei’s new dragon that was shining in the sky.

“Savior Star Dragon will negate the effect of an opponent’s monster and gain that effect until the End Phase, so I’ll gain Earthbound God’s effect!” Here it looked like the souls from Kiryu’s god started leaving its body, entering Savior Dragon’s soul, “Savior Star Dragon will attack Ccapac Apu!” Yusei’s dragon gathered all the souls and rushed into Kiryu’s god, tearing it into pieces of dust, making it one with the earth again. Black mist covered Kiryu, as he crashed with his runner and fell onto the ground, but Yusei was there to catch him, taking his body into his hands.

“Kiryu, no!” Hanako and Crow shouted in unison.

“Hang on, Kiryu! I won’t abandon a friend!” Yusei was looking at Kiryu, holding him in his embrace, “I’m going to save you this time!” He refused to give up on Kiryu.

“Yusei…” Kiryu whispered, “Earthbound God Ccapac Apu’s Effect… Will inflict damage equal to the attack power of the destroyed monster, which means that I…”

“Kiryu!!!” Yusei’s eyes started gathering the tears.

“I receive a total of 3 800 damage…” Kiryu was still trying to speak, “I lost… to you…”

“Kiryu!!!” Hanako shouted looking at Yusei and Kiryu from the above, so Kiryu looked at her body, lightly showing up in the distance.

“I’m sorry, Yusei…” Kiryu whispered, “When I became a Dark Signer, I asked for one more wish! I wanted to play Team Satisfaction’s last duel, the one that never came true back then!”

“Kiryu…” Yusei was looking at Kiryu’s exhausted body, feeling completely powerless before his old friend.

“I wasn’t able to stay mad at you…” Kiryu was still trying to say everything what was on his mind at the moment, but the pain was making it hard to say it all at once, “Talk about lame…”

“No, Kiryu…” Yusei shook his head.

“This isn’t enough to satisfy me…” Kiryu smiled, “Tell Baby I was wrong… tell her to take a good care for you and never lets you go again… Like that… She needs someone like you in her life to…” Yusei’s hands started shaking, as he was looking at Kiryu’s body disappearing from his hands. The pain he felt was just too much to bear, so he couldn’t hold his tears anymore.

“Kiryu!!!” Yusei’s voice started cracking, “You… You can’t be gone…”

“Yusei!” Hanako was the first one to reach Yusei, leaving everyone else far behind. When she came closer to him, she saw his shoulder shaking. He moved away from his runner, looking at his Savior Star Dragon disappearing into the darkness of the sky, lightening the path behind him.

“Kiryu, you were my friends…” Hanako heard Yusei whispering to himself, “And for you… For my friend I will… Make sure to defeat the Dark Signers!” He started shouting, so Hanako stayed back, not wanting to come any closer.

“Yusei…” She whispered, reaching for Yusei with her hand.

“Baby…” He murmured, turning to her, “I’m so sorry, I should’ve…”

“You did your best, Yusei!” She tried to smile but couldn’t express her emotions.

“I’m a failure…” His hands were shaking, “I failed again…”

“Yusei…” She was struggling to find the right words to say; especially now when she doubted his intentions after Kiryu almost convinced her into that. Seeing him like that made her feel responsible for Yusei’s feelings, so she decided to act immediately. “Kiryu chose his path just like you chose yours…” She approached him and placed both her hands on his fists, so he looked her in the eyes, “Not you or any one of us could change that!”

“I’m sorry, Baby…”

“And stop apologising!” She smiled, “I’m the one, who should be sorry, Yusei!” She shook her head, “I’m sorry for doubting you, for not believing you enough…”

“Baby, can I ask you something?” Yusei took Hanako’s hands into his own.

“Sure!” She nodded with a smile.

“When this is all over…” He started, “Will you work on our D-Wheels with me again? Just like we used to do in the past?”

“I wouldn’t wish for anything else”, she was looking at his eyes, while they were sparkling like the night sky full of stars with her reflection in them. Fighting to stay down to earth with Yusei so close to her; she was struggling to remain calm and collected.

“Have I told you how much I missed your company?” Yusei whispered still gazing into her eyes. His words made Hanako even happier, so she stopped doubting Yusei’s friendship and suddenly everything bad that happened disappeared from her memory. Silence suddenly took over, as both of them started remembering old times they spent together but Hanako managed to break the silence it in the middle, before Yusei even started pulling her closer to him.

“You better seal that tower, Wonderboy!” Hanako giggled, stopping Yusei from coming any closer by putting her hands on his chest. She moved her eyes to the Tower of Giant, to point to Yusei what she had in mind.

“You’re right!” Yusei nodded and hurried to the tower, where he placed his Stardust Dragon card on its place, so the ground started shaking. He ran out of the tower soon after that, as the tower started being swallowed by the earth, disappearing in the process. Hanako carefully watched every Yusei’s step while thinking about his kindness and selflessness; he hasn’t changed a bit since the last time she was hanging out with him… Always silent, not talking much, having hard time expressing his feelings and yet, always there when you needed him. In fact, he really was there every time she was in trouble and now when she remembered it, Yusei was coming closer to her, running out of the tower. He looked like he was going to say something but then they both heard familiar voices form not far behind.

“Yusei!” Rua shouted, so Yusei and Hanako turned their heads to the direction the voice was coming from.

“Over here!” Ruka was waving at them with a huge smile covering her face.

“We should go meet them!” Yusei said, so Hanako nodded and soon they both drove back to the upper platform, where others were waiting.

“Yusei”, Crow was the first one to say something, “Look at that!” He pointed with his finger to some place in Satellite, so Yusei and Hanako looked at that direction. Huge light started covering the ground and soon a bunch of small lights started gathering at the same spot, with people appearing out of nowhere, wondering what happened to them.

“What happened to us?” Shouted one of them.

“I’m pretty sure we were swallowed by a fog…” They were looking around in confusing, not knowing what just happened and where did they come from.

“Who are those people?” Ushio was confused, looking at the scene.

“Those are people from Satellite!” Hanako shouted with a smile.

“That’s right!” Crow smiled with his fists clenched, “By defeating Kiryu’s Earthbound God, the souls that were captured have come back!”

“No way! That’s awesome!” Rua said, jumping happily.

“You did it, Yusei!” Hanako clapped few times.

“Yeah!” Crow added giving his fist to Yusei and getting a nod from him.

“But…” Yusei’s face was serious, “It’s still too early to celebrate! To close the door to the underworld, we need to apply two more seals!”

“That’s right!” Hanako remembered.

“Aki is still not done with her duel…” Crow whispered.

“And Jack is out there somewhere, too…” Hanako added worriedly.

“Yes, with three Dark Signers left!” Yusei agreed.

“Hmmm…” Ushio scratched the back of his neck, like he felt something was touching him.

“What’s wrong?” Rua and Ruka turned to him, but he looked at them with a surprise not knowing what happened himself, when all of a sudden, his arms fell towards the ground, waving in the air like he lost control over them.

“Something wrong, Ushio?” Crow was confused.

“Yo, Gramps!” Hanako ran to him, waving with her hand in front of his eyes, trying to get his attention, but nothing happened at first, “Gramps?” Hanako was confused, when his hand started glowing.

“Baby, everyone! Move away!” Yusei shouted, so Rua and Ruka ran to Yusei but Hanako just stopped with her actions, frozen in place.

“Baby!” Yusei shouted again but she wouldn’t move, but Yusei had a hard time understanding whether it was because she was afraid or was simply caught by surprise.

“The heck is going on?” Crow shouted with his eyebrow raised.

“Ushio…” Yusei said slowly approaching the officer, trying to be cautious. He took Hanako’s wrist and started moving her away carefully, not to cause any unnecessary trouble.

“Yusei!” Officer Ushio finally spoke with darker and lower tone, so Hanako jumped away, grabbing Yusei’s shirt in panic, as she wasn’t expecting this.

“Calm down, Baby”, Yusei said calmly, “It’s OK as long as I’m here!” He wrapped his hand around her shoulder, keeping her glued to his chest.

“So you finally defeated Kiryu!” Ushio said, but Yusei managed to recognise his voice, as he was now sure it wasn’t Ushio’s.

“You’re Rudger, aren’t you?!” Yusei was holding Hanako in his embrace, like he was trying to protect her, by placing one hand on her head and other still wrapped around her upper body.

“You will be facing me next! If you wish to fight me, come to Old Momentum!” The voice answered.

“What?” Yusei was surprised, so he lightly and gently loosened the touch of his hands, letting Hanako move away.

“Yusei, look!” Hanako said stepping back and pointing to Ushio’s right hand. There was a Birthmark of the Spider, but it soon disappeared, “It’s that spider again!”

“What spider?!?” Crow was confused.

“That little one that fell from Gramps’ body!”

“You saw it before?” Yusei asked.

“Yes! It happened with people from Satellite, too!” Hanako shivered, “Those spiders’ threads were making people be brainwashed!”

“Brainwashed?” Crow raised an eyebrow when Ushio came back to his senses, seeing how others are looking at him different than just a second ago.

“What’s wrong, you guys?”

“Oh, he’s back to normal!” Hanako smiled.

“What should we do, Yusei?” Crow said worriedly, “It might be a trap!”

“Even if it’s a trap, I have to fight him!” Yusei answered, “If we defeat his Earthbound God, Martha, Rally and all the people who have been taken away will probably come back!”

“Martha…” Yusei’s words made Ushio remember what happened to her.

“I’m going to Old Momentum to finish things with Rudger!” Yusei said, so everyone else agreed to follow him on his journey… But as soon as they set out, with Crow and Yusei riding next to each other and Ushio following them behind, Hanako was slowing down, like she was rethinking her decision to go with them.

“Wait, guys!” She finally shouted, so every slowed down.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Yusei asked worriedly.

“You go on! I’ll catch up later!” She turned her runner and started driving in another direction.

“Hey, Ako, where do you think you’re going?” Crow shouted.

“I’m going to find Jack! You just go without me, I’ll be back as soon as I find him!”

“Sure…” Crow murmured looking at her disappearing from his sight.

“Crow, she can’t go out there all alone!” Yusei shouted nervously.

“Ah, don’t worry for her!” Crow waved with his hand, “She survived worse than that!”

“Guess we’ll have to rely on that and move on, huh?” Ushio said unhappily.

“Looks like it…” Rua murmured looking at Hanako but she already started disappearing in the mists of Satellite.

“Fine, then!” Yusei decided to believe Crow’s words! “Let’s go see Rudger and leave Jack in Hanako’s hands!”

“Sure!” Everyone nodded, so their journey could be continued…


	16. Old Friends, New Friends Part II

12th Chapter

(following anime episodes 60 and 61)

**Old Friends, New Friends**   
**Part II**

After winning his duel against Carly, Jack ran straight to her and took her body into his embrace. She fell from her runner and was badly hurt. While looking at her, Jack new what’s coming up next, so he felt his heart cry out in pain, “Carly! Just hold on! Don’t die on me!”

“Jack, where are you?” Her body was weak and without her glasses, she couldn’t see a thing. The only thing she could feel was warm hands, holding her tight, so only her legs were touching the ground.

“Here! I’m right here!” Jack said desperately.

“How strange”, Carly murmured, “I can’t see anything!”

“You have to hang on!” Jack said reaching to under his coat, to the pocket of his shirt, taking Carly’s broken glasses out and gently placing them on her face, “Look at me!”

A small smile showed on Carly’s face as soon as she looked through her glasses because she saw Jack in front of her, “I loved cheering on people who tired their hardest like you, Jack! Despite that…” She was fighting the weakness of her body, “Because I tried to wish for such selfish happiness, I must’ve been wrong for doing so, huh?”

“That’s nonsense! Everyone has the right to wish for happiness!” Jack answered like he was slightly irritated by her words, but then decided to be honest with her, “If you’re saying that’s a crime, then I’m just as guilty!”

Carly looked up to meet his eyes, “ Jack… I know you’ll save the world, right? I’ll be cheering on you, after all!” She raised her hands to wrap them around Jack’s neck, so after realising her intentions, Jack pulled her closer, placing her head onto his shoulder.

“Carly…” He whispered trying to stop himself from crying. He hugged her tight, not wanting to let go, but her body started disappearing, turning into the dust.

“I love you, Jack…” She finally whispered before she was all gone and only thinking about it made Jack suffer. He clenched his fists after he tried to search for Carly through the wind, like he was hoping she’s still there. The way he was, he knew there’s nothing more he can do, but to seal the tower and try to find everyone else. He got up to see the sky with purple sparkles falling down to earth like snowflakes.

“She was the one, who made you change, huh?” Jack heard calm and familiar voice giggling behind his back but decided not to turn because he didn't want anyone to see his face.

“Yeah…” Jack murmured. He never thought he’ll open his heart to anyone or even admit how he fell in love but he knew very well how he couldn’t lie to Hanako, as she was standing behind his back, looking at him struggle.

“Love is a magical thing, isn’t it?” She raised her head to see purple sparkles that were actually people’s souls coming back to life after Jack defeated one of the Dark Signers.

“What do you know about love?” He answered irritably.

“Because…” Hanako took a deep breath, gathering the strength to say it out loud, “Just like you, I lost the only person I ever truly loved…”

“What are you talking about, Baby?” Her words made him turn to her.

“Robert Pearson…” She murmured before she looked at Jack’s eyes, “That was his name…”

“Pearson?”

“You heard it right”, she managed to put a small smile on her face, “He was one of the best there was! He was a great duellist, just like you Jack!”

“Me?” Jack raised an eyebrow.

“I was making duel runners with him”, Hanako continued, “In fact, Crow’s Blackbird was Rob’s creation. He inherited it from Pearson around 3 years ago…”

“And you changed because of him?”

“When you love someone, Jack, it’s hard to stay the same, don’t you think?”

“True!” Jack said proudly, but then got curious about this Pearson, “What happened to him, Baby?”

“Just like Carly now…” She said whispering to herself, “He died…”

“I’m sorry, Baby…”

“And unlike Carly”, Hanako looked at Jack’s eyes, “He won’t come back if we defeat the Dark Signers…”

Jack saw how her eyes started sparkling but he didn’t want to see her cry, so he tried to do something to move away from the subject, “I really wish I can ease your pain…”

“It’s OK!” Hanako smiled again, “At least now you know how I feel!”

“Hey, you know I wasn’t-“

“I know, Jack!” She giggled.

“Hey, Baby!” Seeing her smile like that, he decided to ask her more about her feelings for Pearson, “Were you ever able to…”

“To what, Jack?” She crossed her hands assuming she knows what Jack will ask her next.

“Never mind!” He shook his head.

“If you’re wondering whether I still love him or not, the answer is simple!” Hanako approached Jack, so he looked at her trying to realise her intentions, “It’s the same as duelling, Jack!” Hanako showed Jack a card she found on the ground before they started this conversation, “I’m sure you’ll never forget that time you won your first duel!

“Sure!” Jack smiled when he saw his Red Dragon Archfiend in Hanako’s hand, “I remember it like it was yesterday!”

“See?” She smiled when Jack took his card from her hand, “It’s the same with people you love… You may forget how it feels but you will never lose a memory of being with them!”

“Anyway…” Jack looked around, “Where are the others?”

“Yusei is with Rua, Ruka, Crow and Ushio… They went to the Old Momentum, so that Yusei can fight Rudger”, Hanako explained.

“Rudger, again?” Jack was confused, “Man, that guy never gives up!”

“I guess…” Hanako shrugged, “Just like I came to look for you and for Miss Aki!”

“Then go find her! I’ll be fine!”

“Don’t you want to go with me?”

“You go first; I’ll catch up later!”

“You sure?”

“I just want to be alone for a while”, Jack said calmly, “Besides, I need to seal that tower!”

“Sure, Jack”, Hanako nodded, “I understand!” She turned around, jumped on her runner and drove away while Jack was making sure she leaves in time.

“Of course you do”, he whispered to himself after he lost her from the sight, so he could think in peace about everything that happened...

* * *

Hanako was driving around, trying to track any signals of Aki duelling when she found a car parked near the abandoned amusement park.

“This car is similar to grandpa Ushio’s…” Hanako whispered to herself when she stopped her runner, “Maybe Miss Mikage and Aki are here somewhere… They were in a police car like this, too!” She left her runner next to the car she found, laving everything there and entering the amusement park. When she realised it was bigger than she thought, she started running to reach her point in time.

Looking around to see if she’ll find anything at all, she was hoping how it’s not too late… But then, she saw a man running in the same direction as her, only he was far ahead, “Maybe he’ll take me to Miss Aki!” Hanako smiled and started following the stranger, keeping her distance to make sure he won’t see her but as she was approaching him, she got a strange feeling from him. His aura was wicked and Hanako felt like his energy is trying to eat her soul and drain every single positive atom she had, “What’s wrong with this guy? He is…” She was looking at him carefully, as she hid herself behind a building, sneaking out occasionally, to check where he’s going.

“Could it be?” Hanako’s body started shivering with fear, “Divine?” She saw his crimson red hair falling from the hat that was hiding his face, “It’s that guy from the article Saiga showed me at Martha’s House!” She remembered the article about fall of the Arcadia Movement, when Saiga broke into Security’s files by hacking their system. “He may be Aki’s boss… I better follow him!”

She continued playing _hide and seek_ with him, doing her best not to be seen by anyone and especially not by him. When Divine entered a strange room full of mirrors that were reflecting Aki’s face and body, Hanako was there right behind him, wondering where he led her and what is his next move.

“Where am I?” Hanako looked around to see where she was, but all she could see were just plain mirrors reflecting Aki’s body. She was standing still with her duel disk activated, while talking to herself with her voice shaking, like she was afraid of something or someone.

“I can’t fight… Misty has good reason to blame me!”

“Aki, no! Where are you?!?” Hanako started pushing every mirror and running between them to find the real Aki but it was useless… Mirrors were making her even more confused when she heard Aki’s voice again.

“It’s my fault that Toby and Misty…”

“Aki, no!” Hanako was running between the mirrors, following the direction that Aki’s voice was coming from, so she somehow managed to find her way to Aki and there she saw her, struggling and backing away from the duel… As she was stepping back, step by step, she tripped over the rock and started falling down to the ground, where a piece of broken mirror was stuck… “She’s going to get hurt if she falls down on that piece of glass…” Hanako’s voice was whispering and shivering before she could call out for Aki’s name, “AKI!!!” Hanako tired to run to her but someone pushed her away, so she fell onto the ground, stepping over her foot, what made her groan in pain.

It was that guy she followed… He jumped in and caught Aki into his arms, saving her from the fall, “Pull yourself together, Aki!”

“Who are you?” Aki was confused because the man was hiding behind his hat.

“I am on your side!”

“My side?” Aki whispered in confusion.

“It’s me, Aki!” He took his hat and removed it from his head, revealing his face to her.

“I knew it!” Hanako shouted kicking the ground with her fist.

“Divine! You’re alive?!” Aki’s eyes started to sparkle when she saw him and she couldn’t help herself but smile.

“Now, Aki, fight! “ Divine said proudly, trying to encourage Aki to continue with her duel.

“I can’t!” She shook her head.

“Yes, you can! Your original latent abilities were far too strong, so I sealed those powers without your knowledge!” Divine said holding Aki in his arms, “And now it’s time to unseal them and release your true powers!”

“Oh, no…” Hanako whispered feeling how she has to act before this gets even nastier, “Don’t listen to him, Aki! He’s evil!” But Aki seemed not to react to Hanako’s words…

“And the words that will awaken those powers are…” Divine moved closer to Aki and whispered to her ear, “The entrance to the underworld is on the witch’s island!” And as he said those words to Aki, the ground started shaking and a tornado started whirling around Aki, so Divine left her there and moved back to stay away from her powers. He was watching the scene with wicked and satisfied smile on his face, as Aki stood on her feet while the look in her eyes completely changed.

“Oh, Aki…” Hanako murmured sitting on the ground, watching the terrifying scene.

“Yes! That’s good! Now, defeat her!” Divine was shouting proudly, “Your true powers are far superior to those of the Dark Signers!” He started running away to save himself from being hurt by Aki’s powers.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Hanako said angrily, reaching for Divine from the ground and grabbing his ankle.

“I’m saving my life and you should do the same, little girl!” Divine hissed, moving his foot away and kicking Hanako’s hand, stepping on her fingers.

“Ouch!” Hanako shouted whispering; she couldn’t let her voice out because of the pain, “That’s going to leave a bruise…” She looked at her hand before she heard other voice speaking that wasn’t Aki’s.

“You have finally revealed your true identity, have you?” Hanako looked at the duel to see a reflection of another woman in the mirror, so she assumed it was Misty.

“I am the Black Rose Witch! The only one vanishing from this world…” Aki started speaking in lowered, more serious and threatening voice.

“Aki, don’t!” Hanako shouted, as she was trying to get up but her ankle started to hurt, “I won’t be able to move a lot like this…” She sighed, as she decided to just sit back and watch the duel.

“Will be you!” Aki finished with her sentence, looking at Misty’ reflection.

“Aki, wake up! Don’t do this! This is not you!” Hanako started shouting, refusing to give up on Aki, “You are not here to destroy people but to save them, remember?!?” But no matter how loud her voice was, it doesn’t seem to be working. Aki was still ignorant to Hanako’s words, “Screw this! How’s Yusei even making this work?” She shook her head when she remembered how Yusei managed to open Aki’s heart and from what he has told her, he reached to her only with his words, so Hanako thought she could do the same but it looks like she was wrong. Her thoughts got distracted from her mind, as Misty activated the effect of Bad End: Chain of Sorrow.

“If the three Sad Story cards, Sorrowful Memories, Unwavering Truth and Wretched Day, are on my field, I am allowed to Special Summon Bad End Queen Dragon (ATK 1 900 / DEF 2 600)!”

As Misty was doing her thing, Aki was just looking at her with her evil witch look, not making a move or even reacting to Misty’s actions.

“I loathe that look!” Misty hissed with a smile, “I’m going to make your face twist in pain!” She declared direct attack on Aki and her dragon lowered Aki’s Life Points down to 1 900, but that wasn’t the end of Misty’s turn, “Also, if the opposing player receives Battle Damage from this monster’s attack, the opposing player must select one card that’s in their hand and send it to their Cemetery!”

“I send Guard Hedge to the Cemetery!” Aki said, faithful to Misty’s command like she was already prepared for what Misty had in store for her.

“And I draw one card from the Bad End Queen Dragon’s Effect!” Misty added, “And since this isn’t the Draw Phase, it will not be targeted by Sad Story!”

Hanako was looking at their duel in confusion, trying to figure out what’s going on, “I just bumped in the middle of the duel and I have no idea what they’re doing…” She sighed when she remembered those helmet protection glasses that stored every information she needed, “And I left my lucky glasses with my runner! What was I thinking?!”

“I end my turn!” Misty said confidentially.

“Well… I guess I’ll just have to watch it to catch up with the outcome!” Hanako said to herself, changing her attention to Aki, because it was now her turn.

“My turn! Draw!” She looked at her card, “Sorrowful Memories’ Effect returns my Monster card to the deck!” As she said that, her deck shuffled, “Next, I summon Black Rose Witch (ATK 1 700 / DEF 1 200) from my hand! When this card is successfully summoned, it lets me draw one card. And if the card I draw is a non-monster card, this card will be destroyed!”

“Looks like Misty managed to corner Aki’s turns with her spell cards…” Hanako was still calculating the outcome.

Aki was just showing her wicked smile during her turn, “And since it’s a draw outside of the Draw Phase, it has nothing to do with Sad Story’s Effect. You said so yourself, didn’t you?” She was looking at Misty’s reflection, showing her the card she drew, “When Rose Spirit (ATK 600 / DEF 1 200) is added to my hand from my deck by a card’s Effect, I can Special Summon it!”

“Nice one!” Hanako shouted with her hands up in the sky but then she suddenly turned down, “I don’t know if I should cheer for you while you’re in that state or not…” She murmured to herself thinking about Aki, “How’s Yusei always able to reach you with his voice? What’s so special about him? Maybe he means something to you more than just a… Wait a second!” She smiled while watching Aki tune her monsters.

“Chilling flames engulf the entire world! Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon (ATK 2 400 / ATK 1 800)!”

Appearance of the Black Rose Dragon made a huge tornado, that was dusting everything away, breaking every single mirror and revealing the true stage of the duel with Misty now completely exposed to Aki’s powers and as they got unleashed, Divine was looking at the duel from the above, resting inside the building that was placed behind Hanako’s back, so she could hear him.

“That’s it, Aki! Eliminate all in our way! You and I are going to rebuild the Arcadia Movement!”

And while Divine was enjoying the sight of Aki’s terrifying powers, Rua and Ruka saw a hurricane that started destroying its surroundings, so they ran over there to see what’s going on just to meet Aki’s evil presence with Misty standing across.

“Black Rose Dragon!” Ruka shouted when they got a chance to see the duel area clearly.

“Something looks odd with Big Sis Aki…” Rua said worriedly when he saw Aki’s face.

“Burn it to ashes with Black Rose Flare!” Aki shouted, as her dragon attacked Misty and destroyed her Bad End Queen Dragon, reducing Misty’s Life Points to 3 500. The attack of Aki’s dragon was real, so Hanako tried to survive the damage of the attack, as the petals from Aki’s dragon started cruising through the wind like flies, with a great tornado swirling around Misty. One petal ran next to Hanako’s face leaving a paper cut-like wound on her cheek.

“Ouch! These really hurt!” She placed a hand on her cheek just to see a trace of blood on her fingers, but just after that, her eyes widened, as she saw a line engraved into the ground. Aki’s dragon not only cut her cheek but the whole ground was left damaged after the attack, as Aki’s dragon struck the ground, leaving a trench in it.

Hanako wasn’t the only one surprised by Aki’s true powers. Rua and Ruka started shivering in fear when they saw the scene.

“Big Sis Aki’s Psychic Power…!” Rua shouted while his body was trembling.

“Those powers are incredible!” Ruka added.

“I finish my turn!” Aki smiled to Misty, enjoying every second of the duel and thinking only about making Misty feel the terrible pain.

“I see… This is the power that stole Toby’s life!” Misty said.

“Toby? Who’s that?” Hanako raised an eyebrow, “What’s going on here?” She looked around when she saw Rua and Ruka on the other side of the duel area, “Rua! Ruka! Over here!” She was waving at them, hoping they’ll be able to see her.

“Hanako!” Rua and Ruka shouted with one voice, but then Rua decided to act.

“What are you doing here?!?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be with Jack?” Ruka added after her brother.

“I was, but I decided to help Aki!” Hanako shouted from the other side like she was all alone.

“You can’t help her! It’s too dangerous!” Ruka said worriedly, looking at Misty and then moving her eyes to Aki, when Misty decided to break in with her move.

“I will make you pay!” She shouted, raising her hand up into the sky, “Come forth! Ancient seal!”

“Rua, watch out!” Ruka shouted, grabbing her brother’s hand and dragging him away, so that the seal won’t take them inside the duelling lane.

Hanako was looking at the twins with hope that they’ll stay safe for now, but then the ground started shaking and a huge purple seal painted itself through the ruins, just like when Crow duelled Bommer, “Oh, my ratchets! Yusei’s going to kill me if he finds out I crossed the line of a shadow duel!” Hanako shouted to herself, as the purple fog passed by her, taking her straight into the Shadow Duel, “And if I don’t figure something out very soon, my soul will be sucked by Misty’s giant Lizard when she summons it to the field!” She tried to stand up, but when she stepped onto her foot, she felt a striking pain in her ankle and groaned in pain, “Not you, too…” She was looking at her foot, “Like my arm wasn’t enough!” She moved her eyes to her hands, seeing few bruises on her right hand, from when Divine stepped onto her fingers, “What should I do?” She couldn’t help but feel powerless now that there was no escape from this situation.

“Baby, you have to go outside the ancient seal!” Rua shouted seeing Hanako struggle.

“I can’t go back now!” Hanako shook her head, while Rua and Ruka decided to ran to her but couldn’t get through, “There!” Hanako pointed to the building across the one Divine was in, “Go there and stay away from this duel, cutesies!”

“And what about you?!?” Rua said not wanting to leave Hanako behind.

“I’ll be fine! Just go!” She smiled to them, trying to convince them she’s telling the truth, so they climbed over the top of ruined stairs from the building that even had a fence still tucked into the ground; they wanted to stay away from the duel and it looked like Hanako has found a prefect safety zone for them to be in.

On the other side of the building they were in, Divine was enjoying the sight of destruction caused by Aki’s powers, “Come now, Aki! Show her your true, unleashed powers! Crush her up for good!”

Hanako heard his evil laugh, as she was still sitting on the ground, underneath the building Divine was in; she was irritated by his evil soul, “You, rotten idiot! You’ll pay for this!” She murmured to herself, watching Aki’s will to destroy getting even stronger now, “Aki, wake up!” Hanako tried to move Aki away from her hypnosis again, “You have to come to your senses!”

Ignorant to her words, Aki gave her full concentration to the duel, as Misty summoned her destroyed dragon again by sending one of her spell cards to the graveyard: Sad Story -Sorrowful Memories. She then equipped her dragon with an Equip Card, so its attack rose to 2 800.

“Trap card activate! Rose Blizzard!” Aki shouted like she was ready for this.

“Aki!!! Can’t you hear what I’m saying?!?” Hanako refused to give up on Aki but her words still had no effect on Aki's state.

“When a monster on my side of the field is targeted with an attack, it will negate that monster’s attack and switch it to defence mode!” Aki explained her trap, ignoring Hanako’s words, what made Misty speak up.

“Just leave her, child!” Misty smiled to Hanako, “She won’t be able to handle what lies in store! I end my turn!”

“Aki! Don’t listen to her! Think of your friends! Think about Rua and Ruka! About all the Signers!” Hanko was still trying to reach Aki’s heart but she remained silent, “Screws, Aki! Then think about Yusei!”

Aki stopped for a while and started blinking, confused by her own mind.

“It worked!” A huge smile appeared on Hanako’s face, “Think about how Yusei helped you! Remember his voice, Aki! Yusei’s the one who saved you! Don’t let his actions and his friendship be in vain!”

“Yusei…” Aki finally murmured, as her eyes widened.

“That’s right, Aki!” Hanako started to shiver after Yusei’s name slipped over her lips so many times, “Yusei!” She realised she shouted his name way too much, so she blushed with embarrassment.

“Yusei!” Rua and Ruka shouted in unison when their attention was drawn by Yusei running over the stairs, climbing up to meet the twins.

“Rua! Ruka!” He shouted back.

“Yusei, Aki is duelling!” Ruka said with her right hand placed on her chest.

“Yeah, but something’s not right!” Rua added, so Yusei looked at the duelling field.

“Aki…” He murmured.

“It’s almost like she’s back to her old self!” Rua said again, assuming how Yusei hasn’t noticed this.

“Aki, what happened?” He said to himself, looking around the duelling field, trying to find any clues of why Aki turned the way she is now, “Oh, no…”

“What’s wrong?” Rua and Ruka shouted worriedly.

“Is that Hanako down there?” Yusei pointed to the duelling field with his finger.

“Yeah…” Ruka saddened her face.

“She told us to run away, so we came here but she stayed there”, Rua explained.

“Is she crazy?!” Yusei placed his hands on the fence and leaned slightly towards the direction the duel was going on, “She’ll die down there!” He looked at her, calling for her name as loud as he could, “HANAKO!!!”

When she heard him calling for her, she raised her look, “Yusei?” She saw him standing next to Rua and Ruka, across the field. When she realised it was really him, she smiled.

“Hanako, I’m coming for you! You can’t stay there or else…” Yusei shouted.

“Don’t worry about me, Yusei… Look!” Hanako reached up to the sky with her hand, pointing Yusei to the building behind her back.

“What…” He was confused at first, “Hey, that’s…” He saw something blinking in the background, deep inside another building right in the window.

“Yusei! You have to save her!” Hanako shouted to him, “No one can reach her… No one but you!”

“I see…” Yusei’s eyes widened, as he recognised the person hiding in the building, “So he was in disguise!” He remembered how Divine was with Aki in the Fortune Cup, keeping her side and how he disguised himself to trick Yusei and how he led him into a trap. If it wasn’t for Ushio, he could’ve been dead, “You guys stay here!” Yusei decided hoe it's time to act.

“Aah, Yusei!” Rua shouted but it was already too late, “I wonder where he’s going!”

“Maybe he’s trying to help…” Ruka said worriedly, “If Aki doesn’t wrap this match up quick, the sun is gonna go down before she gets the chance!”

While the twins were keeping their eyes onto the duel, Yusei ran away to meet Divine and to stop him, hoping that it will save Aki’s heart.

Hanako was looking at him, running down the stairs and circling around the duel stage just to face Divine in another building, “Yusei…” Hanako murmured, as she watched him, “I leave the rest to you…” She smiled closing her eyes, feeling like she is going to lose her consciousness, but she was still able to listen what’s going on around her.

“My turn!” Aki’s voice could be heard echoing through the duelling area, “I remove Rose Spirit in my Cemetery from the game to activate Black Rose Dragon’s effect: Rose restriction! It forcibly switches Bad End Queen Dragon to attack mode and reduces its attack power to 0!”

“What did you say?!” Misty was shocked by Aki’s turn, while Hanako was still listening to their voices, with her eyes closed, but Yusei’s voice made her open them quickly.

“Baby, come here!” He shouted, while Hanako turned her head to see what’s going on.

“Yusei?” She was surprised to see Yusei standing across the purple flames, looking at her with his hand reached through the flames.

“C’mon, Baby! I’m getting you outta here!”

“I told you to don’t mind me!” Hanako shouted desperately, “I can’t move, Yusei!” She shook her head, strongly holding her ankle with the palm of her left hand, since her right hand was badly hurt and full of bruises.

Yusei looked at her ankle, but wasn’t happy with what he saw. Her bruises made him shiver in fear for her safety, “Baby, what happened to you?”

“Don’t mind me, Yusei! It’s just a bruise!” Hanako was persistent, “Go there and help Aki! She needs you more than I do!”

“But Baby…” He was looking at her desperate to help.

“Just go already!”

He saw the strong spirit inside her eyes, so he decided to trust her words, “Got it!” He ran over the stairs of the building behind Hanako’s back and as soon as he faced the entrance, he busts the door down with his right shoulder, bumping into the room, what made Divine turn in an instance. The force of the rush made Yusei’s body fall down to the floor, so he managed to roll himself over his shoulder, safely landing down on his legs, so he managed to stand without a problem.

“You!” Divine hissed, “You’re still alive, huh!” He activated his duel disk and reached for his deck, trying to hurt Yusei with his psychic powers.

“What are you after?! Why did you show up here?!”

“It’s all because of the Dark Signers raiding the Arcadia Movement that this happened to me!” Divine moved part of his hair that was covering his face, to reveal the scar that was left after the incident he was in. Yusei saw traces of ripped skin on Divine’s right side of the face, “But the mind control on Aki is perfect!” Divine finally said, looking down to Aki.

“Mind control?” Yusei was caught up by his words.

“Right now, Aki will only listen to my orders. I’ll use Aki’s powers and seek my revenge against all those who did this to me!”

“Free Aki! She is a new person!”

“A new person, you say?” Divine laughed, “Aki is my faithful servant. I decide everything Aki does!”

“What?!?” Yusei was shocked but then Divine activated his spell card Hinotama and shots a fireball right at Yusei, destroying the table that was placed between them, while Yusie managed to dodge the attack, coming out completely unharmed, “I won’t let you control others’ hearts!”

“Once you’re in my hands, you’ll be at my mercy, regardless of who the person is!” Divine answered, “As soon as I stimulate one’s weaknesses, they’ll move to my will as much as I like. Just like Aki! Her heart which dealt with loneliness just because she possessed powerful Psychic Powers…” He kept talking about his perfect human-weapon that he turned Aki into, “All I had to do was give it a little titillation!”

“Damn, you!”

“Misty is pathetic herself, isn’t she?!” Divine couldn’t stop himself from laughing, “Becoming a Dark Signer with the grudge of having her brother Toby being killed and challenging a Psychic Duellist to battle! That sure is some tear-jerking fraternal love!” Divine smiled menacingly, “Still… She’s destined to be taken care of by Aki, so it seems…”

As soon as Divine spelled Toby’s name, Yusei remembered Mikage’s words before he came here. Mikage explained to him how Aki doesn’t remember killing Toby even though Misty keeps accusing her for her brother’s death. Mikage also pointed out to him how Arcadia Movement may have manipulated the information on Toby’s death, so Yusei decided to dig the truth out of the ground, “Then you’re the one who manipulated Misty into becoming a Dark Signer!?”

“Not even I planned ahead that far!” Divine raised his hands, “However, this did become the prefect stage for someone such as myself, who wishes to prove the power of Psychic Duellists!”

A satisfied smile showed on Yusei’s face, “Huh… That far ahead…” He raised his head to face Divine, as he pointed to him with his hand, “You’ve inadvertently revealed it, Divine! You’re connected to Toby’s death, aren’t you?!”

“So what if I am?” Divine shrugged, “You have to choose any way, Yusei! It’s either Aki now or her!” Divine pointed to Hanako, who was still sitting on the ground feeling powerless, watching the duel and not being able to move. She kept her eyes onto Aki and Misty, as they were fighting for what was right for them. Misty to avenge her brother’s death and Aki to prove Misty’s wrong.

“It’s my turn!” Misty said calmly, “I draw!” She smiled after she saw a card she drew, “This is the end! I activate the Permanent Magic, Advance Force, from my hand! This card’s Effect will allow Bad End Queen Dragon to serve as a monster that will count for two releases!” Misty showed the card she drew, “O God which resuscitated my life! Now, I offer you my soul! Descend forth, Earthbound God Ccarayhua (ATK 2 800 / DEF 1 800)!”

“That’s…” Rua started murmuring.

“No way!” Ruka shouted after him, while Ushio and Mikage ran over to meet the twins, keeping their eyes locked on the duel.

“Baby is in danger!” Officer Ushio shouted, looking at Hanako, who was just sitting on the ground, watching the duel and now showing any signs of fear.

“It’s all over…” She murmured to herself.

“I’m sorry, child, but you’re not going to survive this!” Misty said after she saw Hanako’s saddened face.

“I was aware of that but thanks for pointing it out for me!” Hanako answered a bit irritade by Misty’s words.

“Why did you even do this when you could just stay away from this duel?” Misty was confused.

“Because…” Hanako started her sentence with a whisper, thinking about the best excuse she can find.

“Baby, no!” Yusei shouted, as he was watching the duel from above. He reached the broken window, leaning over the window frame, just to see Hanako’s body slowly disappear.

“Because…” Hanako whispered louder than before a moment ago, while looking at Aki, “Aki is a friend, too!” As she shouted Aki’s name, the tears started rolling down her face, realising how her soul is going to be offered to the Wicked God. Aki was silent to Hanako’s words, standing still like nothing happened but then her Birthmark started to glow, as the ground started shaking when a giant dark lizard with green light lanes rose from the ground. Seeing the scene, Aki just kept her wicked smile, while her eyes were piercing Misty’s soul.

“Baby, no!” Yusei shouted, as Hanako’s body started disappearing but he was moved away from the duel by Divine’s second fireball. He fell onto the ground and kept lying there, wincing and struggling to keep his eyes fully opened. He looked at his duel disk with only one eye opened completely, as he pushed a button on his duel disk.

“So, you were behind it all along, Divine!” Yusei shouted standing up from the ground and placing his duel disk in front of him, like he was ready to duel, but Divine just looked at him remaining silent, so Yusei decided to speak up, “You killed Misty’s brother, didn’t you?! Then you pinned the crime on Aki, right?!”

“If you found out, I might as well say it!” Divine opened his hands like he was waiting for someone to enter his embrace, “Yes… I was the one who killed Misty’s brother! I did it! One year ago, to be exact!” His evil laugh started breaking through his words, “I increased the power of shock waves to see how far Toby’s body will endure but he didn’t survive. He was no use to me because Toby’s talent abilities were at their extent. He just couldn’t handle the experimentation!”

“You monster! He was just a child!”

“Even so, he was worthless…” Divine answered to Yusei, “Seeing how he succumbed to such simple experiments, in contrast, Aki is excellent fodder! She always tries to measure up to my expectations!”

“Damn you and your experiments!” Yusei hissed, “You’ll pay!” Yusei leaps for Divine, but he manages to dodge the attack by moving away, while Yusei fell onto the ground again, looking at Divine from behind his back.

“Die!” Divine showed his next Hinotama Spell Card before he activated it, causing an explosion that blasted Yusei out along with the wall, but Yusei managed to grip the edge of the stair with his fingertips, leaving his body and his left hand hanging in the air. He used his strength to reach the ground with his other hand, to keep it easier to hang on for a while. Divine approached Yusei, looking at him from above, “You should learn a little humility! This time, I’ll make sure you disappear forever!” But just before he could activate another Spell Card of his, he heard Yusei’s satisfied laugh from down below, as his body was still hanging in the air, “What are you laughing about?”

“My duel disk is home-made!” Yusei pulled himself up to take a better look at Divine, “I had the Multi-Duel Voice Network switched on!”

“What?”

Yusei lifts his duel disk onto the ground before Divine’s feet, showing the green blinking light on it, as he leaned to his hand, making it easier to secure his body from falling down, “Misty heard our whole conversation!”

Divine looked at the green light on Yusei’s Duel Disk blinking before turning his look at Misty, realising from the look on her face how she clearly heard the entire conversation.

“Divine…” Misty whispered with anger growing stronger inside of her.

Misty’s words made Hanako open her eyes, just to see her and Aki still duelling with Misty’s god standing behind her, like it was watching her back, “What just happened?” Hanako blinked few times in confusion, “Am I still alive…?” She moved her look to Aki’s Birthmark that was glowing stronger than before, making a shield around Hanako, protecting her soul from the Wicked God, “Aki!” A huge smile appeared on Hanako’s face after she realised Aki protected her soul from being stolen and given as a sacrifice to Misty’s Earthbound Immortal.

“Divine, you… You killed Toby, then?!” Misty continued to angrily shouted at Divine, who was looking it all from the top of the stairs.

“So what?” He was laughing, still satisfied with the outcome, “Your brother was inept! People who are no use to me are worthless!”

“You won’t get away with this!” Purple marks on Misty’s face started glowing, as her lizard grew angrier, taking a deep breath before it started walking towards Yusei and Divine. Lizard spread its tongue and reached for Divine’s body, wrapping the tongue around Divine, squeezing him before eating him alive. Divine started groaning in pain, as the lizard squeezed his body like a toy.

Yusei’s eyes widened, while everyone was watching the awful scene. Ruka had to cover her eyes,not being able to bear the sight, while Rua’s body started to shiver, “I-I-It globbed him up!”

Misty was still calm to the sight of Divine’s death, “Toby… I have avenged you!”

“Gross!” Hanako stick out her tongue like she was going to throw up.

“Aki…” Misty turned to face her opponent, “I’m sorry… Forgive me! Toby didn’t die because of you!” As Divine disappeared from this world, Aki’s eyes widened and it looked like she’s coming to her senses. She seemed to be touched by Misty’s words but not reacting to them. Even so, Misty got the need to speak up her mind, “I no longer have any purpose to fight. I surrender…” She bowed her head, trying to place her hand over the deck on her duel disk, but just before she could finish with her actions, she started murmuring something and groaning like she was in pain, Inside of me!” She fell down on her knees, “The God inside of me!”

“Misty!” Yusei shouted as he got down checking on Aki and Misty, “Your vengeance is settled!

“Yusei?!” Hanako whispered seeing him standing next to her.

“Baby, you’re alive?!” He smiled seeing her still sitting on the ground where he left her and she just nodded looking up at his eyes, “Thank god…” He whispered; as he kneeled down to see her wounds.

“Looks like Aki saved me!” Hanako said, while Yusei took her right arm into his hand, gently checking on them, “Look at her Birthmark!” Hanako moved her head to point Aki’s mark to Yusei.

“That’s right!” Yusei smiled, seeing Aki’s Birthmark guarding Hanako, leaving her soul unharmed.

Hanako looked at Yusei, while his eyes were still focused on Aki’s body, so she decided to tell him what was on her mind, “She won’t listen to anyone except you…” She whispered, “You have to wake her up from that state, Yusei!”

Her words made Yusei turn his attention back to her, but then, he looked at Aki again, calling for her name, “Aki! Open your eyes! Aki!”

“Yusei’s voice…” Aki whispered.

“Looks like it’s working!” Hanako smiled, seeing Aki react to Yusei’s voice, thinking to herself, _“She’s not reacting to words but to the sound of Yusei’s voice… Could it be she’s in love with him? But they just met!”_

“That’s Yusei calling me…” Aki whispered while trying to fight the hypnosis she was in. As she came back to reality, her eyes focused on Misty, who was on her knees, fighting the Wicked God inside of her soul.

“I can… No longer stop this duel on my own!”

“Misty!” Aki shouted worriedly.

“Misty! Don’t give in to the Wicked God!” Yusei shouted looking at Misty struggling to resist.

“Aki, please… You must defeat me!” Misty groaned, but soon after that, her voice changed and her eyes started glowing and she entered the state of possession, just like Ushio did when Rudger took over his body to lure Yusei into his trap. Misty’s voice was lowered and scarier than before, “Defeating the Signers! That is a Dark Signer’s mission!”

“The Wicked God took over Misty’s body?” Yusei shouted.

“No… It can’t be…” Hanako murmured in disbelief.

“Aki! You’re the only one who can stop Misty!” Yusei shouted again, turning his eyes to Aki.

“Yes!” Aki nodded, as she continued with the duel, but it was still Misty’s turn.

“Direct attack!” Misty’s Lizard started moving its hand to Aki, trying to dash her to the ground.

“Trap, activate! Ground Capture!” Aki exclaimed, “It halves the Battle Damage I receive from an opponent’s monster!”

Hand-shaped earth figure came outside of the ground and grabbed Misty’s Lizard’s hand, like it was trying to overpower it. As the lizard pushed it harder, hand-shaped earth figure started falling apart, falling down at all of them like rain. The attack reduced Aki’s Life Points to 200.

“Argh!” Hanako placed her hand before her face, to guard herself from the chunks of earth that were falling from above.

“Baby!” Yusei stepped in front of her, wrapping his arms around her to protect her from big chunks of earth that strolled down onto their bodies.

“Yusei…” Hanako whispered, raising her head to meet Yusei’s eyes. He left enough space for her to move between his hands, so she just snuggled into his embrace with her forehead leaned onto Yusei’s cheek.

After he made sure it was safe to move away, he placed his hands onto Hanako’s cheeks, “Let’s go outta here! It’s too dangerous for you to stay near the duelling field!”

“I already told you, I can’t move…” Hanako shook her head, “And you’re not carrying me in your arms! I refuse!”

Yusei was still on his knees, moving a part of Hanako’s hair from her face and turning his back to her, while she was blinking in confusion, not knowing what he’s going to do next, “Who said anything about carrying you?”

“What?” Hanako raised an eyebrow.

“Here”, he tilted his head to point to his back, “Hop on!”

“Yusei, I am certainly not-”

“What?” He broke her sentence, showing her a smile.

“We’re not kids anymore!”

“And who said only kids do this?!”

“Yusei…” Hanako whispered.

“C’mon, Baby! We don’t have time to waste!”

“Fine!” Hanako sighed, trying to climb up Yusei’s back, “You’ll pay me for this!” She reached for his neck, wrapping her arms around it, while his arms slide down from her back to her legs, just under her butt cheeks, keeping her strongly attached to his back.

“Let’s go, Baby!” He stood on his feet slowly, making sure she won’t fall.

“Lead the way, Wonderboy!” She giggled leaning her head on Yusei’s shoulder, feeling relieved it’s all over now. As he was carrying her farther from the duelling area, she turned her head behind, to see the end of the duel. Misty activated her trap Death Gazer that deals 300 points of damage for each destroyed card by the effect that was sent to the Cemetery and with total of 9 cards that would be destroyed, Aki was supposed to receive 2 100 points of damage.

“Aki…!” Hanako shouted, so Yusei turned his head to see what’s going on, but before he could even react, Aki activated her last face-down card on the field.

“Trap card, open! Reflect Nature!” Aki shouted with tears in her eyes, “It reflects all damage from an opponent’s card effect!”

“Impossible!” Misty shouted, as her Life Points dropped down to 0 and the battle was over, what made Hanako sigh in relief.

After the damage calculation, Misty’s body started falling down to the ground, making her necklace part from her neck, hitting the ground after Misty’s body disappeared along with her Lizard god, letting go of every single soul that was taken away as a sacrifice.

“Aki, are you OK?” Mikage shouted running to her with Ushio and the twins following.

Yusei was still carrying Hanako on his back, so he was the last one to reach the group, “Aki!”

“What’s wrong, Aki?” Hanako was confused when she saw Aki’s saddened face, like she lost the will to live.

Aki remained silent, moving away from the group and picking Misty’s necklace from the ground, as the tears started falling down her face, leaving a trace on the necklace that had a photo of Misty and Toby placed into its frame, “Misty… Toby…” She murmured.

“Poor Aki…” Hanako whispered to Yusei’s ear, as he was still holding her on his back.

“Oh, yeah… The sun!” Rua shouted all of a sudden.

“Dammit!” Ushio said, “We didn’t make it by sunset, huh?”

“But even so, people that were absorbed by the god’s power got back into the city!” Mikage said, trying to cheer the group up.

“Yeah, but what will happen now?” Hanako was worried, when all of a sudden the ground started shaking like an earthquake is coming.

“I think here’s your answer!” Ushio shouted before he saw a trace of light hitting the sky, “What’s that?!” He pointed to a geoglyph sign that was engraved into the sky.

“What is that figure?” Yusei said looking at the scene, while a huge light started engraving a bird-like geoglyph into the sky.

“It looks like a Phoenix!” Hanako said in awe, thinking how beautiful the light was.

“What could that be?” Aki asked looking at Yusei.

“I have no idea, but it looks like we are going to find out very soon…” he murmured, looking at the sky and thinking about the condor geoglyph that was lightening up the darkness of the city…


	17. The Final Battle Part I

13th Chapter

(following anime episodes 62 and 63)

**The Final Battle**

**Part I**

Up in the sky, there was a light that formed a huge geoglyph sign in the shape of condor, so everyone gathered around, to check it. They were impatiently waiting to see what’s going to happen, since they were not able to seal the towers before the sunset.

“This could be a condor geoglyph…” Yusei murmured, looking at the shining sign, while Hanako was still being carried on his back.

“You think another Dark Signer has been born?” Hanako whispered to his ear, looking at him while holding him tight, just to be sure she won’t fall.

“Don’t worry”, Yusei smiled when he realised she strengthened her touch, “You won’t fall down, I’m here!”

“Oh”, Hanako whispered, looking at him slightly embarrassed, because at first, she thought he was talking about the new Dark Signer.

“And yeah”, he looked back at the condor geoglyph, “It looks like it to me…” He said, remaining calm, but to Hanako, he looked a bit worried and just before she wanted to say something to him, she heard voices shouting from behind her back.

“Yusei!” Crow’s voice reached the group and Yusei was the first to turn around, so Hanako was also able to see Crow with Jack, riding their D-Wheels as they approached the others, “I brought Jack along!” Crow shouted before he parked his runner along with Jack by his side.

“Jack! Crow!” Yusei shouted, still gently holding Hanako on his back.

“What is that?!?” Jack shouted after he saw the shining geoglyph in the sky.

Beofre anyone could explain what just happened, Aki stood out of the group, approaching Yusei, so Crow started being interested in her, thinking about how she might be Izayoi Aki, the girl Hanako and Yusei told him about: the Black Rose Witch!

“So you’re Izayoi Aki, huh?” Crow looked at her, analysing her character from her toes all the way up to her head, “Seems like you won the duel, but why does everything look like this?”

“It’s because she didn’t make it by the sunset!” Hanako saddened her face.

“Oy, Baby, didn’t see you there!” Crow was slightly surprised and a bit confused by the scene he saw, “Why is Yusei carrying you on his back?”

“Because she got hurt during Aki’s duel with Misty”, Yusei murmured unhappily.

“She was what?!?” Jack shouted worriedly, as he ran to Yusei, to check out on Hanako, “Baby, what happened?”

“Jack, I’m fine…” She tried to smile.

“You’re not!” Yusei protested, “With those bruises, it would be a surprise to hear you escaped without any broken bones…”

“I told you I’m fine!” Hanako got angry.

“Baby, don’t make this even harder…” Crow sighed, as he decided to break into their conversation, thinking how his words will make Hanako change her mind.

“You should rest…” Jack added.

“I’m perfectly fine!” She shouted, turning her head to Yusei, “Put me down!”

“You can’t walk in that state; I’m not letting you go!” Yusei shook his head.

“Yusei, I didn’t ask you whether you want it or not! Just put me dow-”

All of a sudden, the ground started shaking, so Hanako stopped with her complaining.

“An earthquake!?” Ushio shouted, while everyone was trying to stay calm, not to lose balance and fall down.

“This is…” Yusei murmured when he saw a strange light in the sky.

“That’s…” Jack added, recognizing what is happening at the moment.

“What is it this time?” Crow clenched his fists angrily, trying to figure out what’s going on.

“That’s where the Old Momentum is”, Yusei said calmly, “Does this mean the doors of the Underworld are completely open now?”

“If that’s the case, then…” Hanako murmured, “What’s going to happen next?”

“I think we just got the answer to that question!” Jack shouted, pointing his finger to the Old Momentum, where a huge wave rose up from the water, revealing a huge slime-like monster that was forming its final shape.

“This black mass is setting its sights on the light in the city!” Ruka shouted looking at the monster.

“Yusei, Rudger said that if you fail in sealing the four towers, the King of the Underworld would appear!” Crow remembered Yusei’s duel with Rudger.

“So that huge slime is the King of the Underworld?” Hanako raised an eyebrow.

“Guys…” Ruka murmured, reaching for her arm, as she felt throbbing pain from her Birthmark.

“Ruka, what’s going on?” Rua started to worry about his sister.

“It’s Kuribbon!” Ruka said looking at something, but nothing was there. It was like she was listening to something imaginary, “We must not let that monster reach the light of the Momentum!”

“But how are we going to stop something that big?!?” Rua asked.

After hearing Ruka’s words, Yusei started losing hope while trying to figure something out, when all of a sudden his Birthmark started glowing and it was soon after he realised every Signer’s Birthmark acted the same. Sky opened up, shining in crimson red colour, as the clouds started parting away, revealing a huge red dragon emerging from the clouds, showing dragon’s body in the sky, covering the city.

“That’s… Crimson Dragon!” Jack shouted immediately, recognising the dragon’s shape.

Dragon got closer to the group and started growling with its high pitched voice, before a huge light covered the sky, so everyone had to shut their eyes.

“What’s going on?” Rua asked after he opened his eyes, so everyone turned around to see what just happened. They were all floating in the air, seeing the ground below their bodies.

“We are inside the Crimson Dragon…” Aki said after she realised what happened to them.

“What does it plan to do with us?” Yusei was confused.

“This is…” Hanako murmured flaying next to Yusei, so he turned to her after realizing she’s not on his back anymore.

“Baby, are you OK?”

“I’m fine now, I don’t feel anything”, she said looking at him with a smile on her face.

It looked like they were travelling through time, when light emerged again, as everyone now was transferred to another place.

“What in blazes is going on?!” Jack shouted unhappily, “This is the same that was in the basement of Godwin’s mansion!” Jack was looking at the huge Mayan-like Pyramid that looked like a temple.

“So the light we could see from Satellite was coming from here?” Aki came to a conclusion.

“It looks like we were transferred to that light and condor geoglyph”, Hanako murmured after they’ve been moved away and Crimson Dragon disappeared, trying to catch something near her, as she was having a hard time standing on both of her legs. So she reached for Crow’s shoulder and placed her finger on her mouth, to make sure he won’t panic about her state, so he just nodded, understanding what she was trying to tell him, not wanting to worry Jack or Yusei about it.

“What? Just like that?!?” Rua shouted in shock.

“Seems so”, Yusei murmured.

Everyone was checking the surroundings, when they heard a deep and manly voice, “I’ve been waiting for you, Signers! It would appear that you were victorious in your battle against the Dark Signers!”

Hanako kept her hand on Crow’s shoulder, struggling to stand, so he wrapped her waist with one hand and supported her, helping her transfer half of her body weight to him and just after she rewarded him with a smile, they saw Godwin’s character emerging from the shadows of the temple.

“However, you were unable to seal the doors of the Underworld!”

“Director?!” Mikage shouted in disbelief.

“Godwin?!” Added Jack right after her.

“Godwin!” Shouted Yusei, “Tell us, please, did we end up losing?!”

Godwin was looking at the Signers with evil smile on his face and it looked like he is not even trying to hide it away. His hands were hidden behind his back, so his posture looked dominant, giving Godwin the feeling of overpower, as he was full of himself now, but since he had no intention to speak for now, silence took over and after a few moments, Yusei decided to continue with his questions.

“This world... Is it…?”

“Over!” Godwin exclaimed with satisfaction flowing through his veins, “Yes!”

“Come… again?!” Yusei murmured, refusing to believe Godwin’s words, so he started explaining himself.

“The King of the Underworld is approaching us every moment that ticks by!”

“Why is it coming here?” Yusei was still confused.

“For this shrine is sacred, ceremonial ground, of course”.

“Ceremonial?” Yusei’s eyes widened.

“Quite”, Godwin said calmly, “It is for the purpose of this ritual that I used the Crimson Dragon and called upon all of you”, he pulled something out of behind his back and placed it onto the shrine, while Ruka, Yusei, Aki and Jack started groaning in pain, holding for their arms with engraved Birthmarks.

“It hurts!” Ruka cried out in pain.

“Guys, are you OK?!?” Hanako was terrified by the scene, because she could almost feel the pain from all of the Signers, so she looked up at Godwin, to see what’s causing all that throbbing pain. The huge thing that Godwin pulled out was a capsule filled with some kind of liquid with cut underarm that had a mark engraved into it.

“That’s the final Birthmark – the Dragon Head!” Yusei immediately recognised the sign.

“Is that your arm?” Jack’s voice was strict and sharp.

“No, not quite”, Godwin answered, “The Dragon Head belongs to my brother, Rudger!”

“Why do you even have it?” Yusei asked.

To answer his question, Godwin turned his back to the group, revealing the sign of the condor on his back, shining in bright purple.

“Don’t tell me you’re…” Yusei murmured, shocked by the fact that Godwin might have turned into a Dark Signer.

Godwin’s evil laugh started spreading through the air, as he began transforming himself. His muscles started growing, making his physique stronger and bigger, so his shirt got ripped, revealing his chest, “Yes! I have become a Dark Signer!” He reached for his metal arm and ripped it off of his body, so he can connect his brother’s arm and attach it to his body. It fit perfectly, like it belonged to him.

“What is he doing?” Yusei was terrified.

“Whatever he’s doing, it’s disgusting!” Hanako moved her look away.

“With my Dark Signer powers, I shall make this arm mine!” Godwin shouted, looking at his new arm with Signer’s mark, “Crimson Dragon’s powers are resisting, are they? It seems like it will take some time before they become mine…”

“Godwin, what’s your scheme?!” Yusei pointed his finger towards the temple.

“I shall become a God! The Crimson Dragon and Wicked God”, Godwin was pointing to his left arm and his chest, “I shall garner both of these powers and become an Ultimate God!”

“Ultimate God, my jacks!” Hanako shouted angrily, “You don’t deserve those powers!”

Godwin was just laughing to her statement, as the ground started shaking and the temple raised itself up into the sky, moving away from the ground. Strange block appeared in front of Godwin, as the condor geoglyph emerged from the city, covering the sky above the group, “We shall now begin the ceremony to usher in the King of the Underworld!” Godwin opened his arms, “We shall hold the ceremony with a Riding Duel from the condor geoglyph!”

“Not again!” Hanako murmured, “Another Shadow Duel?!”

“Yes!” Godwin answered, “I shall crush you Signers ‘till nothing remains! I will offer you all as a sacrifice to the King of the Underworld!”

“Why, Godwin?” Yusei was persistent to find out Godwin’s reasons.

“Didn’t you ask Yusei and the others for help?!” Crow added, “To defeat the Dark Signers?”

“So, what shall you do?” Godwin answered, “The King of the Underworld will soon be here!”

“Godwin, if we win this duel, will the King of the Underworld…” Yusei started again, when Godwin gave him an answer like he already knew Yusei’s question.

“Positive – probably disappear. However, I will not let that happen! The godlike being I am!

“I accept this duel!” Yusei clenched his fist, shouting to Godwin, so Jack decided to take Yusei’s side.

“I’m going to disperse of you!”

As both Yusei and Jack were already on their runners, prepared for the battlw with Godwin, Crow was still helping Hanako to stand, but that didn’t stop him from joining the team battle, “Count me in! I am not a Signer, but, hell, it’s for the kids in Satellite, I’ll do anything! Even if it’s considered reckless! Just like the time when the Legendary D-Wheeler flew!”

“Let’s do this, Godwin!” Yusei shouted, ready for the battle now that both his friends are with him.

Crow wanted to reach his runner, so he had to leave Hanako’s side, “Will you be able to walk by yourself?”

“Just get me to my runner, I’ll be fine...”

Crow walked Hanako to her runner and helped her sit down, while it was parked safely, not moving away, “Is it OK, like this?”

Hanako nodded, but just before they parted away, Yusei figured out they were whispering something behind his back, so he turned to face the direction they were standing, “Baby…” Hanako looked at Yusei and her eyes widened, as she was afraid he’ll find out about her state, “Your wounds…” Yusei murmured after he checked with his eyes every part of her body.

“I’m fine, Yusei! You just mind your own business!” Hanako shook her head, so Crow decided to jump in to help her, trying to explain Yusei how he doesn’t have to worry about her.

“She’s not a child anymore! She can do this on her own!”

“Crow’s right! I’ll be safe with my D-Wheel”, she smiled.

“Are you sure, Baby?” Crow was still persistent.

“Positive!” Hanako smiled, but Crow’s eyes were showing her he didn’t believe her, so she had to say something more to him, “Just go! It’s fine…” She sat down onto her runner and took her position that was most comfortable for her, so the pain disappeared for a brief moment, “Go there and kick Godwin’s ass for me! The way I am now, I can’t help you duel…”

“Don’t worry, Baby!” Jack shouted from afar, “We know you’re always with us!”

“Hell, yeah!” Crow shouted happily, joining Yusei and Jack with his Blackbird.

“We’re going to stop the King of the Underworld from being resurrected – the three of us!” Yusei finally said, when Crow joined them on his Blackbird.

“Yusei! Jack! Crow!” Ruka shouted, “You can do it!”

“It's all up to you, guys!” Officer Ushio added after her and as everyone was now ready to face Godwin, he started explaining the rules of the duel.

“An unorthodox three-on-one duel... Each of you three will start with 4 000 Life Points, while I will start with triple the amount, 12 000. No player may attack on their first turn”, he said preparing his deck for the duel, “No objections, I presume?”

Crow was the first one to answer, all thrilled, “Nope!”

“This will be...” Jack added with Yusei finishing his statement.

“...our final battle!”

After their combined speech, all three of them revved their engines and rushed to the duelling lane that Godwin prepared for them, speeding through the improvised street, hoping for the best.

“This field shall hereby be donated by Speed World!” Godwin shouted, placing a Speed World Spell onto the block from the temple that served him as a duel disk and with that, Godwin officially started the duel with Speed Spell dominating.

“So this will be a speed duel, after all...” Hanako murmured connecting her runner to Crow’s, so she can see the duel from there.

Crow decided to come out first, so he took the first turn, “First move goes to me, Crow the Bullet-sama! It's my turn!”

“Show off!” Hanako rolled her eyes, taking Aki’s attention.

“Is he always like that?” Aki asked her all of a sudden.

“Most of the time, yes....” She looked at Aki a bit confused, trying to figure out why Aki was interested in Crow’s character, “Well, he’s a real show off when he’s around the kids!” She giggled, because only thinking about it made her smile.

“I would like to get to know them better... “

“Them?” Hanako was left surprised and even more confused now.

“Both Jack and Crow...” Aki answered, “Because they are Yusei's friends…”

“Best friends!” Hanako made a correction to Aki’s words, before thinking only for herself, _“So it is because of Yusei, after all…”_ She was somehow disappointed, because at first it really looked like Aki grew more interest in Crow, but after she saw Aki’s face when she talked about Yusei, everything became clear, so Hanako decided she’ll just go with the flow, “They grew up together. Crow can rush into things a bit too much, but he will do anything for our kids and that's what matters the most!” While he was telling her story, she kept her eyes locked on the duel, watching Crow end his turn with two monsters on the field and one card face-down, so now it was Jack's turn.

“My turn! I summon Mad Demon (ATK 1 800 / DEF 0)!” Since no player was able to attack on their first turn, Jack just placed one card face-down to end his turn.

“Jack, on the other hand”, Hanako started again with her story, still concentrating on the duel, “Is very proud and can look tough and selfish, but when you get to know him better, you will see how he also has a soft side”, Hanako blushed a bit on that thought, so Mikage saw her reaction and couldn’t resist, but to say something.

“What do you know about Jack, anyway?”

“If you knew him so well, like I do, I wouldn't have to answer you to that question”, Hanako said calmly, keeping a cool posture, not giving herself in, because she knew she must not let her feelings take control over her mind. She did her best to stay ignorant to Mikage's jealousy... While Aki was looking at the duel, praying for the best and it was now Yusei's turn, so Hanako moved her attention to him.

“I…” Mikage started, but Ushio slightly kicked her with his elbow, implying to her how it’s better if she doesn’t argue with Hanako about that, so she stopped.

“And Yusei...” Hanako murmured, looking at him, taking his first turn, “Well...” She smiled when Aki looked at her, as her eyes widened, just waiting for Hanako to say something about him.

“Yusei is a special guy”, Hanako finished, looking at Yusei riding his runner.

“My turn!” Yusei shouted, drawing a card that he kept in his right hand, “Godwin! Why did you become a Dark Signer?”

“Seventeen years ago, my brother Rudger unleashed the power of Old Momentum, Godwin started with his story, “Right before he did, my brother left me in charge of his left arm, the Dragon Head”.

“So it was Rudger’s fault that Zero Reverse happened?!?” Hanako shouted angrily.

“Listen, little girl”, Godwin sighed, “The battle between the Crimson Dragon and the Wicked Gods every five-thousand years… When it began seventeen years ago, my brother’s body was selected as the first setting. My brother’s body hosted two birthmarks, one Signer and one Dark Signer…”

“Both Birthmarks?!?” Aki started to shiver.

“How’s that even possible?” Ruka was confused.

“The Dark Signer birthmark took action, in attempts to totally seize my brother!” Godwin continued, “He fell victim to the powers of the Dark Signers… But he had an idea!”

“So he cut his arm off?” Hanako was disgusted by the thought of it.

“Something like that”, Godwin answered calmly, “He attempted to resing the outcome to fate by severing his left arm, which contained the Signer Birthmark, and entrusting it to me, his younger brother!”

“So because of him, you assembled all Signers here… To defeat the darkness in your brother’s heart?!?” Hanako was shivering with fear, not knowing in what to believe anymore.

“Positive!”Godwin said, “Thus, my brother Rudger unleashed Old Momentum’s power, leaded by the wills from the dark side, causing Zero Reverse…”

“You’re sick, Godwin!” Crow shouted all of a sudden.

“During that process, I had reached a certain conclusion”, Godwin just said, ignoring Crow’s insults, “At the end of staring into the depths of destiny”, Godwin closed his eyes, remembering his duel with Rudger and everything that happened during the battle between Signers and Dark Signers, “I lost to my brother!”

“So you became a Dark Signer in order to take both Signers’ and Dark Signers’ powers for yourself?” Jack asked.

“Yes!” Godwin shouted happily, “I shall become a God and put an end to the battle between the Crimson Dragon and the Wicked God! I shall destroy this world with the powers of the King of the Underworld. And then I shall rebuild the world with the powers of the Crimson Dragon!” Godwin raised his hand happily, “I shall create the world!”

“Are you crazy?!?” Hanako shouted.

“That's bull, Godwin!” Yusei added.

“Why do the kids in Satellite, Martha, and a whole bunch of innocent people have to be erased from existence?” Crow shouted.

“I, Jack Atlas, will not engage in your wild delusions!”

“You're wrong, Godwin!” Yusei shouted again, giving his best to change Godwin’s mind, “It isn't the power of a God that tears down destiny! It's what all of us struggle, fight and achieve through victory for!”

“Humph!” Godwin hissed, “What is it you fight with, pray tell?”

“The bonds between us friends!” Yusei answered.

“Go, show him what we're made of, Yusei!” Hanako got all pumped up, shouting and waving with her fists, watching Yusei summon his Max Warrior and placing one card face-down to end his turn, so it was now all turned to Godwin. As she was making short and rough moves, she forgot about the bruises, so she stopped all of a sudden and groaned in pain.

“Baby, are you alright?” Ushio moved his eyes from the duel to Hanako.

“Sure! I forgot about these...” She murmured, while sitting on her runner and looking at her hands, “I can't stand either...” She bowed her head, sitting on her duel runner and feeling powerless, which made her sad.

“You need to see the doctor!” Ushio said after he saw her wounds, “You may have some broken bones or even serious hematoma...”

“This wouldn't happen, if you didn't try to save me…” Aki whispered with the feelings of guilt.

“It's OK, Aki!” Hanako smiled looking at her, “It was my own choice!” After that, she just looked into her screen, to see what’s going on with the duel, “I'll be fine! Let's just cheer on our guys and when this is all over, I'll go see Doctor Schmidt, OK?”

Everyone nodded and their attention was transferred to Godwin now, who was still all fired up by the duel, “Well then, let me show you both of Gods! My turn!” Godwin shouted with a wicked smile, drawing a card, “At this moment, seeing as there are no monsters on my own field and only monsters on my opponent's field, I will Special Summon my Sun Priest (ATK 1 000 / DEF 2 000)! Then I summon the Tuner Monster, Red Ant Azcat (ATK 700 / DEF 1 300)!”

“That Godwin...” Hanako hissed, angry at the outcome of the duel, “What is he planning to Synchro Summon?” Hanako was watching carefully, as Godwin tuned his monsters.

“When the sun rises, it will illuminate all darkness! May you flood in, light!” Godwin started shouting his chant, “Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Sun Dragon Inti (ATK 3 000 / DEF 2 800)!”

“So that's his ace monster?” Yusei’s eyes widened.

“Next, by removing my Tuner monster, Red Ant Azcat from the Cemetery, it will Special Summon Stone Statue of the Lamenting God (ATK 0 / DEF 500)!” Godwin added, implying how his turn is still not over, “Also, by paying 1 000 Life Points, that will Special Summon the Dark Tuner, Black Goddess Witaka (ATK 0 / DEF 0), from my hand! This monster's Effect activates! It can make its level match that of a Synchro Monster on the field!”

“What?!” Shouted Hanako, “That will make his Goddess Witaka level 8, the same as his Sun Dragon!”

“That's right!” Godwin smiled, as he started tuning his new monsters, “When the Moon is full in the darkness, the whispering of the Devil will be heard! Entice them over death! Dark Synchro! Show yourself, Moon Dragon Quilla (ATK 2 500 / DEF 2 000)!” Godwin placed two cards face-down and ended his turn and just after that, the Effect of his monsters activated. Moonlight Dragon Quilla was destroyed at the End Phase of his turn.

“Don't tell me he's forced out of the running after raising that blowing all that hot air, now!” Crow said, “I don't care about that Gods or destiny business, but I'll vault myself over all those things!” Here he looked at Godwin and smiled with satisfaction, “Just like the legendary D-Wheeler!”

“However”, Godwin replied, “He did so at the expense of losing his left arm...”

 _“What's he talking about?”_ Crow thought to himself, shaking his head, “My turn!” He tuned both his monsters on the field, summoning Black Feather – Armored Wing (ATK 2 500 / DEF 1 500) and as his monster attacked Godwin’s Sun Dragon, it placed a wedge counter onto Godwin’s Dragon, reducing its attack power to 0. And with Crow’s Special Summoned monster Black Feather – Pitch Black Elfen (ATK 2 200 / DEF 1 200), he managed to reduce Godwin’s Life points to 8 800, but Godwin just smiled without showing any signs of pain or sorrow.

“Opposing the sun - God - is and unforgivable offence!” He looked at Crow, “Back then, the legendary D-Wheeler experienced that all too well by losing his left arm...”

“What the...” Crow murmured.

“Could it be...?” Hanako said to herself, but still loud enough for others to hear her.

“Don't tell me you're the legendary D-Wheeler?” Yusei said, like he read Hanako’s thoughts.

“What?!?” Jack was shocked and surprised at the same time.

“I'll be damned if that's true!” Crow said, disappointed in the truth that was finally revealed to all of them.

“The monster that destroys Sun Dragon Inti will be destroyed in return and the opposing player will receive damage equal to its attack power!” Godwin answered without even trying to explain himself.

“Crow, no!” Hanako shouted worriedly, as she was thinking how Crow won’t stand the damage from that attack and his Life Points dropped down to 1 800.

“When Sun Dragon Inti is destroyed, the Moon Dragon Quilla in my Cemetry will be Special Summoned!” Godwin added, “The legendary D-Wheeler learned his lesson. You can never oppose destiny!”

“That's nonsense!” Hanako shouted unhappily.

“Maybe for a trash like you are...” Godwin laughed, “In order to change destiny, one must surpass humanity and become a God! And only then will a miracle happen!”

“I don't believe that for a second! And I'll be damned if you sully the legend we hold so dear!” Crow said, all disappointed in the story he heard.

Godwin raised his left arm, showing his Birthmark - Dragon Head to everyone and after glowing for a moment, all Ruka, Jack, Aki and Yusei's marks disappeared. With the mark of the Crimson Dragon now glowing on Godwin's chest.

“No way!” Yusei shouted, “All the birthmarks are on Godwin!”

“I am the Ultimate God!” Godwin answered with his wicked smile, while Crow just played two cards face-down to end his turn.

During that time, Yusei drives towards Godwin, thinking about his chosen path... He was thinking about the King of the Underworld and the situation he was in. That huge monster was still approaching the light and there was nothing he could do about it, except win this duel and bring this to an end. His thoughts started cruising around, but the Godwin spoke once again.

“Human bonds are fragile things! To reign over destiny, there is no other choice but for myself to become a God and create a new world!” He was looking at Yusei, like he was saying all those thing just to him.

“Godwin, you're crazy!” Hanako shouted listening to his words, “Look what you have done to yourself! Just quit it already! Our bonds are something you will never break... Not even your god-like figure will do the opposite!” She was giving her best, so her voice can reach Yusei, Jack and Crow. She somehow felt their struggles, especially that of Yusei’s. He looked like he was struggling and doubting himself.

“I can’t believe he’s our enemy now…” Ruka whispered after she saw Hanako giving her best to cheer the guys up.

“Yeah, after all he's done and assembled us Signers...” Aki murmured, “Joined us together...”

“Dammit, Godwin!” Crow shouted angrily.

“Humph! I don't care about 'gods'! Much less what you call 'bonds'!” Jack added, all fired up by Hanako’s words, “I'm just going to surpass it! I will not be swayed by destiny, or whatever! I'll push forward at this speed, so fats you'll never catch up with me!”

“Oh, Jack...” Hanako murmured, thinking about his ego and pride, “Just take care...” She was looking at him, taking his turn, but Aki took her attention for herself.

“Was Jack always like that?”

“Jack?” Hanako raised an eyebrow, “Oh, that!” She smled when she realised what Aki was trying to ask her, “When we were kids, he was always playing tough; sitting on his imaginary throne and acting as a king”, Hanako giggled after remembering those days, “If you were thinking about it, then yes… He was always like that: proud of himself with his ego bigger than Godwin’s ambitions, but…”

“But what?” Aki was interested in Hanako’s words.

“He has changed”, Hanako said, turning her eyes back to the duel, seeing Jack’s Mad Demon succeed at attacking Godwin directly, “He wasn’t like this before. Something changed his heart!” Hanako finished, so Aki started thinking about her words, when Crow finally spoke up.

“Quit joking around, Jack! It doesn't matter how fast you try to race by, we can't cut off our unsavoury ties!” He reached out his hand, “Trap card, open! Shadow Dance!”

“Way to go, Crow!” Hanako smiled.

“Shadow Dance?” Aki was a bit confused, since she had no idea what that card can do.

“When a monster successfully attacks directly, that card of Crow's inflicts 1 000 points of Damage to the opposing player!” Hanako explained.

“Really?” Aki was surprised to see how connected those three are. Their bonds seemed unbreakable and both Crow and Jack were so attached to Yusei in a good way; they are his friends, who support him, trust him and believe in him from the bottom of their hearts and Crow’s move was the proof for that. She saw Godwin’s Life Points reduce down to 6 900 now, and after Jack’s turn, it was now Yusei’s time to shine. Just thinking about him made Aki’s heart race and whole her body started to shiver, impatiently waiting to hear his voice again.

“He's right, Godwin!” Yusei added, “Be we Signers or not, it doesn't matter! We all already have the bond known as 'friendship'! It's an absolutely steadfast symbol! With these bonds, we will tear down destiny!” But Godwin just laughed to Yusei’s statement, so Yusei had his card as an answer to his wicked smile,”Reverse card, open! Rising Rush! When we inflict Effect Damage on the opposing player, it lets me Special Summon a Tuner Monster in my hand!”

“He is calculating it again…” Hanako whispered, not believing her eyes.

“I summon Junk Snychron (ATK 1 300 / DEF 500)!” Yusei finally said, as his monster showed up on the field.

“All right! It's your turn, Yusei!” Jack shouted happily.

“C'mon, Yusei! You can do it!” Hanako clenched her fists gently, so that she can prevent the pain from taking over her body, as she watched Yusei tune his Max Warrior to his Junk Synchron.

“Clustering roars turn into an echoing arrow which tears through the sky! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Junk Archer (ATK 2 300 / DEF 2 000)!”

“I haven’t seen that monster before”, Aki said in confusion.

“It has a very strong effect”, Hanako added, “Just watch. Yusei’s calculation is almost never wrong”, she winked to Aki with a smile on her face, so Aki turned all her attention to Yusei now.

“Junk Archer's effect activates!” Yusei shouted, “Once per turn, it can remove an opponent's monster from the game until the End Phase of this turn!”

“Good one, Yusei!” Hanako was still cheering for them.

“I don't get it...” Rua was confused.

“Now Yusei can remove Godwin's Moonlight Dragon Quilla and his Sun Dragon won't appear, which will leave Godwin's field wide open...” Hanako explained.

“So Yusei can attack Godwin directly?” Rua asked and his eyes widened when Hanako nodded, implying how he guessed it correctly, but while Yusei’s monster tried to attack, Godwin had something else up his sleeve.

“No, you don't!” Godwin shouted, “Trap card, activate! Sacrifice of Honour! When I receive an opponent's monster's declaration of attack while I have no monsters on my field, this will negate that attack!” Godwin showed them his evil smile, “Afterwards, it Special Summons two Sacrifice Stone Tokens (ATK 0 / DEF 0)!” After both tokens were successfully summoned, Godwin still had something to add to his turn, “But it's not over yet! Now I can add a card with 'Earthbound God' in its name from my deck into my hand!”

“What?” Yusei was shocked.

“Yusei...” Aki murmured looking at him, afraid for his life.

“This doesn't look good”, Hanako said with a serious look on her face, “His Earthbound God is coming this turn...”

“Already?” Rua asked, looking at Hanako.

“When Yusei's done... With his turn”, Hanako started, “It's Godwin's turn and...”

“Oh, yeah!” Said Rua, “I forgot about that!”

“I place two cards face-down to end my turn!” Yusei finally said, leaving the next turn to Godwin.

“During the End Phase, Moonlight Dragon Quilla returns to the field!” Godwin said, “It's my turn! I release both Sacrifice Tokens! Bring about ultimate destruction, mightiest of Earthbound Gods! Come forth, Wiraquocha Rasca!” As Godwin called forth his Earthbound God, a huge light started covering the sky, making it hard to look at it, when a strange snail shell emerged from the clouds. The shell was throbbing, as the souls from people in the City started pouring into the Earthbound God's floating snail shell of doom.

“The souls are getting absorbed?!?” Jack’s eyes widened, seeing the shell explode, erupting into a small sun with a huge black winged creature with pink light lines appearing in the sky. After it formed its final shape, it relieved a talon that veined through with pink lights, while its body was almost as huge as the condor geoglyph engraved into the sky.

As the King of the Underworld was still approaching the city and started releasing mud-slime crows to the Maiyah's tower, where Godwin was, he spoke, “The ceremony is nearing its climax! It seems that not even King of the Underworld can contain his excitement over the Earthbound God making its appearance. He's calling out for me to awaken him from his deep slumber and quench his five-thousand year thirst with the blood from all of you!”

“Godwin...!” Yusei murmured, looking at the scene from the temple, not realising how one of the birds flew right behind his back prepared to take him down with its claws, but the thorny tentacle pierced right through it, what made bird disappear. When he looked behind his back, he saw Aki’s Black Rose Dragon, guarding his back and Ruka’s Ancient Fairy Dragon was there to help.

“The Signer dragons... On this field, we can harness their powers!” Ruka shouted, as she ordered her dragon to kill those annoying birds flying around.

“You're not going to interrupt them!” Aki said angrily, while her dragon was doing everything it can to stop the birds from hurting Jack, Crow and Yusei.

“Guys...” Hanako murmured, as her eyes widened, while she was looking at Aki and Ruka giving their best to help protect the three of her best friends, but one bird managed to dodge the attack, kicking Crow’s back, making him lose his balance, “Crow!” Hanako shouted worriedly, but he managed to get back on track in a second, showing Hanako a smile, so she wouldn’t worry about him.

“I'm going to fight as well!” Aki shouted, “For the first friends I've ever had in my life!”

“To protect these bonds we have!” Ruka nodded, as their dragons continued with protecting Jack, Crow and Yusei.

“Rah, rah! Yusei!” Rua shouted to cheer for the guys, as a non-Signer, he couldn’t do more than that.

“Atlas-sama!” Mikage shouted, to cheer on Jack, so Ushio decided to do the same.

“Don't you dare to lose, Crow!”

“You can do this, guys!” Hanako was the last one to speak, “We believe in you!”

“Those wishes of yours, guys...” Crow said, smiling at Hanako.

“...have been received!” Yusei said, speeding with his runner, gathering the courage he had left with feelings of strength now that he has every single friends on his side, “It’s time to clean up this mess, Godwin!”


	18. The Final Battle Part II

13th Chapter

(following anime episodes 63 and 64)

**The Final Battle**

**Part II**

Yusei, Jack and Crow were still in the middle of the duel with Rex Godwin, who turned himself into a powerful master of both the Wicked God and the Crimson Dragon, but after all of their friends started cheering for them, they regained courage and strength to fight against evil and to win this duel that will connect Satellite to Neo Domino City… And with that thought in mind, Yusei was driving his D-Wheel through the duelling lanes made by condor geoglyph, looking at Godwin’s godlike figure.

“Let me show you despair, Yusei Fudo... Wiraqocha Rasca's Effect will, once per turn, reduce my opponent's Life Points to 1 by skipping my Battle Phase!”

“You're going to reduce Yusei's Life Points to 1 in one go!?!” Jack’s eyes widened, “What kind of bull is that?!”

“How's that?” Godwin’s wicked smile started piercing through Yusei’s soul, “I shall make you experience it all! Impossibility! Powerlessness! Despair!”

“Sorry, but growing up in Satellite, we don't feel any of that!” Crow smirked.

“Crow…” Yusei whispered, after Crow’s words touched his heart.

“No matter how tough it gets, we'll run straight ahead with the wind whipping us by!” Crow continued, “The one who showed us that was the legendary D-Wheeler!”

“However, he was capable of nothing!” Godwin protested, still standing behind his words.

“Wrong!” Crow refused to give up, “By trying to smash convention even though he knew it was impossible, that man's...” Crow’s mouth got shut all of a sudden, like he was struggling to continue.

“Crow…” Hanako murmured, thinking about everything they’ve been through, waiting for Crow to say what he wanted to say.

“Your one-time ambitions touched us all!”

Crow’s words made Godwin stop for a moment, as his eyes widened and his body frozen in place. He wasn’t expecting something like that to be said, but Crow just continued with his speech, not giving up.

“Godwin, regardless of what you think, that spirit has been passed down to me, Yusei, Jack, Hanako and everyone in Satellite!” He was shouting from the bottom of his heart, as Hanako was listening his words in awe, “And I'll be damned if we wallow in despair!” Distracted by this, Crow didn’t see a bird, sent from the King of the Underworld that rushed to Crow, kicking his back, as it tried to catch him. Surprised by the attack, Crow lost his balance and almost got off the track, but he was skilled enough to recover.

“Crow!” Hanako shouted and let a sigh, after Crow managed to get back on track safely.

“With wishes alone, one always falls short!” Godwin shouted, “I will severe your bonds! Wiraqocha Rasca's effect activates!”

“I'll make sure these wishes reach!” Crow shouted back at him, “Trap card, open! Life Exchange!”

“Crow, are you crazy?!?” Hanako cried out in fear.

“When Life Points change via a card Effect, this will target that effect towards myself!”

“No, Crow... What are you...” Yusei murmured, as his eyes widened.

“I won't let you hurt Yusei!” Crow said to Godwin with the strong will to protect his friend, “His very existence draws our bonds of friendship together! Yusei is the reason why our bonds have strengthened! That's why, no matter how much I get hurt, so long as Yusei's around, our bonds will never be severed!”

“Then allow me to fulfil your wishes!” Godwin answered, using the Effect of his terrifying monster and reducing Crow’s Life Points to 1 instead. Damaged by the Effect, Crow took his runner and flew away from the tracks strait to another part of the duelling lane...

“Godwin, I'm taking over the legend...” Crow shouted, while flying in the air, “Me, Crow the Bullet-sama!” After crying those words out of his heart, Crow activated the wings on his runner and Blackbird started flying over the sky, just like the runner from the legendary D-Wheeler from the story that Hanako and Crow loved telling to their kids, “Life Exchange's other Effect will destroy a monster if there's any change in my Life Points!”

“What did you say?!?” Godwin was stunned by Crow’s turn.

“As much as I'd like to go with your Earthbound God, I'm gonna smash up your Moonlight Dragon Quilla!” Crow flew across the sky, crushing into Godwin's Moonlight Dragon as it disappeared, turning into dust and Crow’s runner landing onto the ground, making Crow lose his balance, what made his body stay lying on the ground with only 1 Life Point left, not able to continue with the race.

“When Moonlight Dragon Quilla is destroyed, the Sun Dragon Inti resting in my Cemetery will be resurrected!” Godwin shouted, following the rules of his turn.

“I'm not done yet!” Shouted Crow from the ground, “ I release Armoured Wing to activate the Permanent Trap, Black Feather – Anchor! The legendary D-Wheeler's baton is about to be passed off from me to you guys, Jack and Yusei!” He groaned in pain, trying his best to say his last words, before leaving the duel to the other two of his friends, “Those wishes will build and connect the Daedalus Bridge!”

“CROW!!!” Hanako cried worriedly, as the tears started gathering in her eyes.

“A D-Wheeler who cannot race will not have a turn!” Godwin laughed, “Your legendary D-Wheeler is nonsense and so are your bonds!”

“You're wrong, Godwin!” Hanako protested.

“Humph!” Godwin smirked, “We’ll see about that! I place one card face-down to end my turn!”

“Damn you, Godwin!” Jack shouted, as it was now his turn, since Crow lost the opportunity to fight, “My turn! I summon Dark Sprocketer (ATK 400 / DEF 0)!” Jack’s field was fully prepared now, so he could tune his monsters, “The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon (ATK 3 000 / DEF 2 000)!”

“However”, Godwin added, “When Sun Dragon Inti is destroyed; it will destroy your monster and inflict damage equal to its attack power!”

Jack was already prepared for that and answered to Godwin with his trap, “Trap card, open! Half Straight! By halving my Red Demon's attack power until my next Standby Phase, if its attack power is lower than my opponent's highest power monster, it's allowed to attack directly!”

“Way to go, Jack!” Hanako shouted with a smile.

“Yaaay!” Rua and Ruka shouted in unison.

“With that, I won't be deceived by Sun Dragon Inti and I'll hit you head-on!” Jack shouted, “Go, Red Demon's!”

“Sun Dragon Inti's effect activates!” Godwin refused to give up, “It can reduce its own attack power to 0!”

“No…” Hanako murmured in disbelief, so Rua and Ruka looked at her, waiting to see what will happen next.

“That means Half Straight's effect will be disabled!” Yusei said, explaining Hanako’s reaction “The only one who can battle now is...”

“They can't touch his Earthbound God... This means...” Hanako whispered, “Son Dragon Inti will be destroyed, bringing his Moonlight Dragon Quilla back to the field...”

“Do you mean to tell me my Red Demon's going to be destroyed?” Jack shouted, but before Godwin could do something about it, Yusei had himself prepared.

“Permanent trap, open! Imposed End! By sending a card on the field to the cemetery, it can end the Battle Phase!” Yusei shouted, looking at Jack, “Jack, use this card!”

“Jack Atlas...” Godwin hissed, “What are you fighting for? It is not to assess your destiny, nor is it to oppose God. And to top it off, you supposedly do not care about bonds!”

“Jack, don't listen to him!” Hanako cried out, “You have your friends now... We are all with you!”

“She’s right, Jack!” Yusei added, afraid that Jack will take Godwin’s side, “Don't be deceived! Use Imposed End's effect!”

“You abandoned your friends in Satellite all to attain the title of King!” Godwin continued, trying to make his plan work, “Have you or have you not abandoned your ties with your friends once before?”

“So what?!?” Hanako shouted unhappily, “He did that to achieve his goals! It has nothing to do with us, anyway! Jack only wanted the best for himself, what's wrong with that! If we have been offered a new life in the City, without being called trash, you think we wouldn't accept that offer?!?”

“Nonsense!” Godwin answered, “Can you even hear yourself? Weren't you the one, who refused to go with Jack that day?”

“It's because I wanted to bring my kids with me!” Hanako shook her head, looking at the screen of her runner, “I wouldn't go there all alone... All by myself!”

“You cannot be King unless you are alone, and Jack knows that!”

“No!” Yusei answered to Godwin’s words, “ Jack has us, his friends He's not alone!”

“I too was alone”, Godwin stated, “I had no other choice but to stand against destiny by myself! That is when I realised that me becoming a God was the only path! And Jack... The same applies to you as well!”

“Shut up, Godwin!” Hanako cried out, hoping how Jack won’t listen to his words, but Godwin kept talking about that former King stuff.

“You abandoned everything and became a loner to choose the path to becoming a King! Being King-like is your battle!” Godwin clenched his fist, “Your 'bonds' nonsense makes me laugh! Yusei Fudo! People are lonely by nature! Relying on others, being lenient and decentralising responsibility! Bonds like that could never defeat destiny!”

“Indeed, you're right!” Jack said calmly, “I was alone...”

“Jack!” Yusei shouted, looking at him, riding his runner.

“Red Demon's Dragon attacks Sun Dragon Inti!” After the attack was successful, Godwin’s Life Pointes reduced down to 5 400.

“That's what I expect from you, Jack, the Lone King!” Godwin said through laugh, “However, you shall take upon the same pain I suffer! Sun Dragon Inti's effect activates! The monster that destroyed Inti will be destroyed along with it and the opposing player will receive damage equal to its attack power!” Godwin was laughing wickedly, while Hanako watched Jack’s Life Points drop down to 2 500.

“Jack, why?!?” Yusei was confused and surprised at the same time.

“Great!” Hanako rolled her eyes, “Now the Moonlight Dragon Quilla will come back again!” Everyone was watching Godwin’s Moonlight Dragon rise from the fog, after his Sun Dragon disappeared from the field.

“I place a card face-down, ending my turn!” Jack said, leaving the rest to Yusei.

“Jack, you have given up on bonds, garnering no friends”, Godwin was persistent. “That loner spirit is most befitting for a King! However, a King will not do. You must become a God. A God, I will shape this world!”

“He's blabbering again about his God-like figure...” Ruka whispered worriedly, so Hanako reacted again.

“He's really getting up my nerves already...”

“One thing that you need to remember, though!” Jack spoke all of a sudden, “I'm not the King! Bonds, friends... These are all things that I, indeed, once abandoned. I also ended up abandoning being the King! But when I abandoned everything, I gained one tiny thing...”

“Jack...” Hanako murmured.

“Those hopes are the reason as to why I'm here!” Jack smiled, “Godwin, sorry to disappoint, but I'm not alone! I had no interest, but, before I knew it, I was in the middle of a bunch of pests! And no matter how much I deny it, I cannot escape from what's known as 'bonds'!”

“Oh, Jack... That pain...” Hanako was listening to Jack’s words carefully.

“And what helped me understand that... Was one woman's love!”

“I knew it...” Hanako shouted with tears rolling down her face.

“Baby, what's wrong?” Rua asked worriedly, but before Hanako could even say something, Jack started with his speech again.

“Godwin, people won't get lonely so easily!”

“Everyone ends up coming to a tepid conclusion such as that!” Godwin answered, “That is why I had to reach these heights!”

“That's not true!” Yusei cried out, “And our bonds will prove it! My turn! Junk Archer's Effect will remove Moonlight Dragon Quilla!”

“Again?” Hanako was confused and angry at the same time, “What are you doing, Yusei?!?”

“No, you don't!” Godwin shouted, “Trap card, open! Destruct Fortune! By destroying one of my own monsters, I'll regain Life Points equal to its attack power! I destroy Moonlight Dragon Quilla and when the moon sets, the sun shall rise again!”

“Here we go”, Hanako sighed, “All over again…”

As Godwin healed himself, his Life Points increased, jumping up to 7 900 with his Sun Dragon resurrected to the field from the Cemetery.

“I end... my turn...” Yusei murmured, feeling powerless before Godwin; he knew it was now Godwin’s turn and anything could happen.

“Friends, bonds, legends, love... What good have they done?” Godwin shouted, “Have they even managed to put a dent in destiny? Destiny merely scoffs at us, unchanged! However, I shall proceed upon the remaining path – this thorny path! Worship me! I shall create a new world!”

While Godwin was blabbering about hid god-like things, one mud bird flew over Hanako’s head, almost hitting her, so she turned around to see what's going on, “Oh, no! That Wicked God is even closer now!” Her eyes widened after she realised the time is ticking.

“Not much longer now!” Godwin shouted happily, “When the King of the Underworld reaches this shrine, as I offer all of you as sacrifice, this world will be trapped in the underworld, starting by zeroing it out with destruction!”

“Whatever you're planning, we'll stop you!” Yusei answered, ready to fight until the very end.

“Of course!” Jack agreed, “Him laughing so loud disgusts me!”

Yusei was looking at Jack, while his thoughts were speeding through, _“Jack's field is wide open, so Godwin will be coming after...”_ But as soon as he tried to calculate Godwin’s next move, Jack interrupted his thinking, dragging him back to the real world.

“Permanent Trap, open! Demon's Chain! It negates Sun Dragon Inti's Monster Effect and prohibits it from attacking or being released!”

“Good!” Yusei smiled, “Now Sun Dragon Inti is barred from attacking directly! But...”

“Jack Atlas, it was you who said it, yes? 'No matter how much a person abandons, they will never be alone', to paraphrase”, Godwin raised an eyebrow, “However, that is not true! People can easily become alone! That is death! When people face death, they are reminded that they never had friends or bonds. This may not come as much of a surprise, but the journey to death is on one's own. I shall return you back into the old Jack Atlas once more! Back to that desperate solitude of one on the verge of death!”

“No, you won't!” Hanako shouted angrily,” Jack's not your puppet doll! He has his own thoughts and feelings... Jack is his own person! Jack is...”

Godwin broke her words, “Earthbound God Wiraqocha Rasca will skip my Battle Phase for this turn! And Jack, your Life Points will be reduced to 1!”

“When my Life Points are taken to 1 000 or lower, Demon's Chain gets destroyed...” Jack said, as his Life Points started dropping.

“And now, behold!” Godwin raised both his hands, “Perceive impending death! King of the Underwolrd! May you offer Jack Atlas as sacrifice!” After Godwin’s word, the King of the Underworld finally reached the city, making people run for their lives! It lifted its head up and shot a fire flame out of its mouth, straight towards Jack. The fire passed Yusei, who was able to escape the fire, but Jack, on the other hand, was hit hard. He started rolling around the duelling lane, spinning in circles, while still sitting on his runner.

“Jack!” Yusei screamed.

“So, Jack! Can you perceive it? Your death? Your despair?” Godwin was looking at Jack with his evil eyes that were enjoying the pain and suffer, Jack was going through.

“I don't perceive any desperate solitude! Because we are all not on the verge of dying!” Jack answered before he fell from his runner, hitting the ground few times, before his body stopped in one place. Yusei just ran next to him, calling for his name before the speed removed him from Jack's sight, “Yusei... I've... Given them to you! Even if my D-Wheel can't run... Those hopes are with you!”

Hearing Jack’s words, Crow was inspired to speak up, “Jack's right! Even if our Life Points are at 1... Our hopes are at 10 000 points!”

“Go, Yusei!” Ruka cheered.

“Don't you dare to lose now!” Rua shouted.

“Everyone, your wishes... Have been delivered!”

“C’mon, Yusei!” Hanako whispered to herself, “You can do this!” She was looking at Yusei, hoping for the best. After hearing the words of encouragement from his friends, Yusei shook away his fears, gaining the will to fight them because of everyone now being with him and supporting him, while Godwin was still focused on his visions.

“Humph! You are at the verge of death and you are attempting to cover up your terror as much as possible, are you? I place a card face-down to end my turn!”

“My turn!” Yusei drew a card, “Junk Archer's effect activates! Now I'll eliminate Sun Dragon Inti!”

“How incorrigible!” Godwin laughed, “Counter Trap, Temper of Vai Mahse!”

“Temple of what?” Rua was confused, so Hanako put on her visor that was actually glasses that could easily be attached to her helmet and pushed a button on them. Strange letter appeared on the screen and she could see everything about the card that Godwin just played.

“Temple of Vai Mahse...” She started reading the text, “It destroys an opponent's monster's effect and destroys the card!”

"That means”, Ruka murmured, “Yusei's Junk Archer will...”

“Yes!” Hanako nodded, “Be destroyed, leaving Yusei's field wide open, but...” She stopped for a moment, “Now, he can still Normal Summon this turn...” She moved her head to the duel on her screen.

“How come you know so much about these cards?” Rua was amazed.

“I don’t”, Hanako smiled, not ashamed of telling them the truth, “I have it all in here!” She pointed to her head, where her glasses were placed.

“In your head?!?” Rua raised an eyebrow.

“No”, Hanako giggled, “Inside of this thing!” She showed her glasses to Rua, “When I was younger, I had a hard time memorising all cards’ effects and instructions, so Yusei programmed these for me!”

“Wow, Yusei did that?!?” Rua’s mouth were wide open.

“Yep”, Hanako smiled at the thought, “He placed around five thousand cards into these glasses, so I can look for the details, if I don’t know what each card can do…”

“That is soooooo awesome!” Rua smiled.

“And makes my life easier”, Hanako giggled, looking at the child, remembering her kids and their smiles, when they were talking about Duel Monsters.

“Yusei did that for you, right?” Aki whispered, so Hanako raised an eyebrow, looking at Aki’s blushing face.

“He’d do anything for a friend, Aki”, Hanako spoke, “I’m sure you already know that after everything he’s been through just to show you how much he cares!”

“You’re right…” Aki murmured, as her face became hot, so she tried to hide it by moving her look away.

“Don’t be so shy”, Hanako said, “Yusei is a great guy and we all love him!” She looked at Aki, as her face became sadder and more disappointed now, so Hanako figured out she said something she shouldn’t and decided to change the ending of her sentence, “Well, we love him in our own way…”

“Yeah!” Ruka finally nodded, which made Aki turn her eyes to all of them with a smile.

“She’s right!” Rua clenched his fists, “Let’s cheer for Yusei!!!” Everyone nodded, as their attention moved to Yusei’s turn now.

“I summon Shield Warrior (ATK 800 / DEF 1 600) in defence mode! I also place a card face-down to end my turn!”

“You've received their wishes, you say?” Godwin hissed, “And your reply is summoning a monster in defence mode, is it?” But Yusei remained silent to his words, so he continued, “Defences mean nothing to Earthbound God Wiraqocha Rasca!” He pointed to Yusei with his finger, “Yusei Fudo, I shall make you experience the despair and solitude one feels before the verge of death as well! Thing such as 'bonds' does not exist!” Godwin drew a card, “My turn! I'll send you to where the other two are! Earthboung God's effect activates!”

“Yusei, you better have that trap all set...” Hanako whispered just before Godwin’s monster attacked Yusei and a huge cloud covered the field, trapping Yusei inside, so no one could see what happened. After everyone got scared for Yusei’s life, his runner emerged from the smoke cloud with 9 Speed Counters with only 1 Life Point left.

“Yusei!” Jack shouted, laying on the ground, so Crow did the same.

“Yusei!”

Yusei’s look was determined and focused, without showing any signs of defeat or struggle and to Godwin it was just what he wanted, as he was laughing wickedly, all satisfied with the outcome, “Now your Life Points among the three of you combined are at 3. Savour the taste of this shining example of despair!” Godwin was laughing to them, while Yusei kept speeding up; saying nothing.

“Yusei... Just what happened to you?” Hanako murmured again, looking at the duel.

“What do you mean by that?” Aki was surprised.

“I've never seen his face like this...” Hanako explained, making everyone move their eyes to Yusei.

“Not yet!” He shouted, “I've yet to falter!” Yusei revved his engine, leaving Godwin surprised by his words, “I have hope, so I will never give into despair! And that supports that hope are the bonds with my friends!”

“Are you still reciting that garbage?” Godwin raised an eyebrow.

“It's my turn!” Yusei answered, “I activate the Speed Spell, Angel baton, from my hand! When my Speed Counters are at 2 or higher, I can draw two cards from my deck and, then, send one from my hand to the Cemetery!” After drawing Road Runner and Debris Dragon, by sending Road Runner to the Cemetery, he summoned his other monster he drew, “Next, I summon the tuner monster, Debris Dragon (ATK 1 000 / DEF 2 000)! When Debris Dragon is successfully summoned, I'm allowed to Special Summon a monster in my Cemetery with an attack power of 500 or lower!” Yusei reached for a card in his Cemetery, “Come one, Road Runner (ATK 300 / DEF 300)!”

“Road Runner!” Hanako smiled.

“You look like you remembered something”, Ruka said, looking at Hanako’s face.

“That card is...” Hanako tried to explain.

“Is what?” Aki was the first one to react.

“It has a great value to me...”

“Why?” Ruka was confused.

“It connects me and Yusei in a way”, Hanako said, “And keeps our past bounded together!”

“What do you mean?” Rua asked out of sheer curiosity.

“You know what, cutesies? I'll tell you a bed-time story about it once this is all over”, Hanako gave a wink to the twins, so Rua blushed a bit; he wanted to complain about how he's too old for bed-time stories, but Hanako's reaction made him change his mind, so he remained silent. While they were talking about the card Yusei played, he was now tuning his monsters on the field.

“Clustering hopes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon (ATK 2 500 / DEF 2 000)!” Yusei shouted with his heart beating faster than usual, as his Stardust Dragon showed up on the field, covered in glittery star dust, covering the sky.

“It seems your hope has run dry”, Godwin chuckled, “It doesn't have enough attack power!”

“No, our bonds of friendship keep our hope alive!”

“What are you talking about?”

“I'm using the effect of the Permanent Trap that Crow left, Black Feather – Anchor!” Yusei answered with a smile. Crow was still lying on the ground, looking at his runner with his Permanent Trap still placed on the field, but since he was still in play, because he still had 1 Life Point left, his card could be used in the duel, “By sending Black Feather – Anchor to the Cemetery, Stardust's attack power will increase by 2 500 until the End Phase!”

“What?!?” Godwin screamed.

“This is all help from Armoured Wing, who was used for the cost when Black Feather – Anchor activated!” Yusei shouted, “Stardust Dragon will attack Sun Dragon Inti!” Yusei’s dragon turned Godwin’s Sun Dragon into dust and after successful attack, his Life Points reduced down to 5 900, but Sun Dragon's effect activated; it destroys the monster that attacked and deals damage equal to its attack power, “Stardust Dragon's effect is superior!” Yusei already prepared himself for Godwin’s monster’s Effect, “By releasing Stardust Dragon, it will negate and destroy any card destroying effects!”

“As the sun sets, the moon comes to view... And now, the sun shall rise again!” Godwin redid the same thing, resurrecting his Moonlight Dragon after his Sun Dragon was destroyed, “That natural providence can be stopped by no one!”

“He's right!” Hanako said to the other, “That circle just keeps repeating itself…” She was looking at Godwin’s Moonlight Dragon being born again from the clouds, rising up to the sky like the Moon.

“Or maybe not!” Yusei said, before activating Jack’s face-down card.

“That card belongs to Jack!” Godwin protested.

“They're connected by our bonds!” Crow answered.

“It's now that I activate the Permanent Trap, High Ruler's Conquest” Yusei continued with his move, “By sending this card to the Cemetery, it negates the Summoning or Special Summoning of your monster!”

“Impossible!” Godwin shouted in disbelief.

“During this turn's End Phase, the Stardust Dragon in my Cemetery revives!” Stardust Dragon reappeared on the field, so Yusei ended his turn, “Godwin, as long as we have our bonds, we're not alone! We'd never attract despair! You should understand!”

“Enough prattle!” Godwin wasn’t satisfied with the direction this duel was going in, “Complete solitude, perfect despair – those were the ends I reached!”

“So what?!?” Hanako cried out, “You think we've never experienced that? Living on the streets, without parent, sleeping on the cold ground freezing outside with no roof to protect our heads! You think we've been different than you... For this whole life we've lived?”

“It's no use!” Godwin answered back, “Unless my existence surpassed humanity... Unless I became a God, I could never reset the world!”

“But the world needs no reset, you moron!” Hanako shook her head, “Just deal with it! Forgive and forget! Leave the past behind you and try living your life to the fullest!”

“Nonsense! There's no such thing as forgiveness...”

“Then, you're saying you've forgotten about your brother, Rudger?” Yusei asked with a serious look on his face, leaving Godwin completely confused.

“What?!?”

“There was a time when you opposed destiny and marked the legend of the Daedalus Bridge! But wasn't your intention to follow in, your brother Rudger's will?” Yusei was persistent, but Godwin said nothing, “The left arm of yours belongs to your brother, Rudger!”

Godwin looked at his left arm, shaking his head, “What is your point? Take a look at the reality! Your Life Points are at a mere 1! Plus the King of the Underworld is right around the corner! Seeing as how the other two cannot return to riding, when your Life Points are depleted, victory will be mine!” He was looking at Yusei speeding over the corners, leaning whole his body left to right and right to left along with his runner, on every turn he took, but that didn’t distract Godwin from making his next move, “I use Earthbound God Wiraqocha Rasca to attack you, Yusei Fudo, directly! Let me just blow away the rest of your candle in the wind Life Points!”

Yusei was concentrated on Earthbound God's direct attack, ready to face his fears, thinking about what he should do next, because if this attack goes through, it’s all over. Thinking about it all made his time pass in second, but Jack’s words made him come back to the reality.

“Yusei, Use... that card of yours now!”

“Jack...” Yusei looked at the field, “So, that's why you didn't use this card!” To his words, Jack smiled happily with satisfaction covering his face, so Yusei turned to Godwin now, “Godwin! The bonds between my friends are my weapons! I activate the Permanent Trap, Imposed End! By sending one card on my field to the Cemetery, this will force an end to the Battle Phase!” Yusei sent his Imposed End to the Cemetery, remaining unharmed with his Life Points still at 1.

“Then, I activate the Trap Card, Meteor Prominence!” Godwin answered, “By sending two cards in my hand to the Cemetery, it will inflict 2 000 points of damage to the opponent!”

“Yusei, no!” Hanako shouted.

“Trap card, open!” Yusei said, “Joint Future! By sending a card in my hand to the Cemetery, this negates an opponent's Magic or Trap card activation!”

“But Meteor Prominence, after it's finished activating, will be sent to the Cemetery!” Godwin refused to give up, “And if this card is in my Cemetery during my Draw Phase, I can add this card to my hand instead of drawing!”

“I won't let it go to the Cemetery!” Yusei exclaimed, “The card whose effect is negated by Joint Future is shuffled back into the deck!”

“What?” Godwin was in shock, placing his card into the deck, leaving the system to shuffle it automatically, “I end my turn!” Godwin hissed.

“Godwin, you don't want to become a God, do you?” Yusei was persistent, “You simply couldn't forget your brother!”

“That's bull!” Godwin’s hands started shaking, “I cannot become a God unless I surpass my brother!”

“You're wrong! All people have something they could never forget! Something... no one could ever sever!” Talking about this, Yusei remembered his father, “Within each and every one of their hearts!” His words left Godwin speechless, but he just continued with his speech, not wanting to stop, “Yes, that's right! Your brother Rudger is within you! You're not trying to become a God and surpass destiny! You're trying to oppose destiny alongside Rudger! And isn't that what bonds are all about?!?”

“Brother...” Godwin whispered, remembering his brother, Rudger and thinking about him, so his eyes widened and started glowing. It looked like he was about to cry. After softening his heart, the mark of the Crimson Dragon, that was on Godwin's chest, started fading away and soon disappeared, as Yusei's deck started glowing; the first card, on top of his deck was shining bright, calling for him, while all Birthmarks returned to their respective owners.

While Hanako was amazed by the glowing light of Birthmarks on Aki's and Ruka's right arm, Yusei was looking at his own mark, “The Crimson Dragons' birthmark...” Yusei murmured, “It's giving us power!” His Birthmark suddenly disappeared, turning into small glowing light, as another Birthmark appeared on his hand, “The Dragon Head Birthmark got switched to me!”

The same glowing light started shining around Crow's arm like dust, falling all over it, as the Birthmark of Dragon's Tail that was on Yusei's hand, appeared on Crow's right arm, “Is this...?” Crow murmured, looking at his arm.

“Why?!?” Godwin hissed, “Didn't the Crimson Dragon... Choose the Godlike figure that is me?!?”

“No, it chose bonds!” Yusei shouted, “These bonds of ours are going to surpass destiny!”

“Yusei!” All Signers shouted in unison, looking at Yusei, as he placed a hand on his deck; picking the glowing card from the top of it, “It's my turn!” Yusei looked at the card he drew, knowing exactly what's coming next, “When a Stardust Dragon is on my field, it will Special Summon a Stardust Xiaolong (ATK 100 / DEF 100) resting in the Cemetery! Next, I summon Messiahs Draconis, Saviour Dragon!”

“That card...” Godwin murmured in disbelief.

“Just what is this card?” Aki was just as confused.

“I don't know... I've never seen it in Yusei's deck before”, Hanako answered with her eyes widened, as she was looking at Yusei tune his three monsters: Stardust Dragon, Saviour Dragon and his Stardust Xiaolong. Everyone was watching the scene in awe, not realising how the King of the Underworld approached them, leaving its shadow covering the group. The darkness of the shadow made Ushio turn his head, to check what’s going on.

“Oh, no! The King of the Underworld!” He shouted in fear, knowing how they must run away, if they want to get out of this alive; they had to find another shelter, but Hanako’s body wouldn’t move, so Ushio stayed behind, when everyone already left, “Baby, we have to run!”

“I can't like this”, she shook her head, “And I'm not leaving my runner here!”

“Baby, don't be so stubborn, we have to move!”

“No!”

“Baby, the King of the Underworld will crush you to the ground!” Ushio was persistent.

“I'm not going anywhere...!” She shouted in the same time Yusei synchro summoned his new monster.

“The shine of clustering stars will illuminate a new miracle! Become the path its light shines upon!” The light started spreading through the sky, letting Yusei’s new Dragon pierece the sky with its wings, “Synchro Summon! Arrive in light, Saviour Star Dragon (ATK 3 800 / DEF 3 000)!”

The King of the Underworld raised its bodt, stepping onto the ground of the City, approaching the shrine, but Hanako was right below its foot, so everyone got scared she would die down there.

“Baby, no!” Rua and Ruka shouted in fear, but something interrupted the King of the Underworld. Yusei's Saviour Star Dragon rushed into the terrifying creature, placing its body over Hanako's head with its wings spread. As Yusei’s Dragon guarded Hanako with its back, she was left untouched and unharmed.

“Saviour Star Dragon?” She looked up into the sky, having a hard time to look straight into the dragon, because it was shining brighter than the Moon. She was blinking in awe, while everyone else looked amazed by the sight, as Saviour's wings started releasing small shiny pieces of stardust that was falling over Hanako like snowflakes.

“Baby, are you OK?” Yusei smiled, as he sighed with relief, seeing she’s doing fine.

“Thanks, Yusei! I owe you one, Yusei!” She smiled to him, leaving a sigh.

“Just one?” Yusei raised an eyebrow, giving her a smile in return, but it didn’t last long, because he had to focus on the duel, so he continued without waiting for her to react back to him, “Saviour Star's effect activates! It negates Earthbound God Wiraqocha Rasca's effect!”

“What?” Godwin was still having a hard time to believe in what is going on and Yusei just continued with his turn.

“Next, I open my Trap card! Synchro Baton! For each Synchro Monster in our Cemeteries, it increases the attack power of a Synchro Monster on my field by 600 points!”

“This can't be happening...” Godwin murmured.

“There are four Synchro Monsters in the Cemetery!” Yusei shouted, so Rua started counting them on his finger.

“Red Demon's Dragon, Junk Archer...”

“Yusei's Stardust Dragon and Crow's Black Feather – Armoured Wing!” Ruka finished his row.

“My friends' bonds are all rallied right here and now!” Yusei shouted, as his dragon became powerful enough to destroy Godwin’s monsters, “Saviour Star Dragon's attack power increases by 2 400 points, making it 6 200 attack points straight!”

“Amazing!” Hanako shouted with her eyes widened.

“Saviour Star Dragon attacks Earthbound God Wiraqocha Rasca!”

Godwin was looking at Yusei's attack, not believing his eyes and ears, “Yusei... Fudo...” Whisper fell over his lips, as his Life Points reduced to 0 after Yusei’s successful attack that destroyed Godwin’s Earthboung God. Just after that, Saviour Star Dragon got connected to the Crimson Dragon, so they were now flying as one, rushing into the King of the Underworld! Flying through the King's flames, moving it away and speeding through the wind like eagles. Their bodies broke through the King of the Undeworld’s body, making its body melt and explode into the great light!

“Godwin!” Yusei shouted desperately, looking at Godwin's figure disappear in the lights just like the King of the Underworld. And with that, the temple's picture faded away just like the duelling lane, so Crow and Jack were left without the ground and their bodies, along with their runners, started falling down to the City from a great height.

“Atlas-sama!” Mikage screamed, looking at Jack’s body falling down towards the ground.

“Crow!” Hanako did the same, but then Saviour Star Dragon started flying around, cruising through the winds, picking Crow and Jack along with their runners and carrying them on its back... After flying all over the city and dispersing the light into small pieces of dust, Saviour Star Dragon landed Crow and Jack safely, reuniting them with the rest of the group and soon, Yusei joined them, after coming out of the bright light that took Rex’s and Rudger’s Soul away.

Rua, Ruka, Ushi, Mikage and Aki... Alongside Hanako all watched the beautiful scenery, amazed by the sight, as the Saviour Star Dragon flew to the sun, saving the city from the King of the Underworld.

* * *

After the battle, Hanako was taken to Martha’s House to be taken care of her wounds, so Doctor Schmidt came to check her body and examine her wounds. She was sitting on the operation table in Martha’s House, waving with her legs, keeping a smile on her face, because it was all over now.

“I can’t believe you tried to stop that guy from running, by grabbing his ankle…” Doctor Schmidt smiled in disbelief; trying to process everything that Hanako told him happened.

“It was worth trying!” She smiled at the Doctor.

“But it wasn’t worth risking your life”, the Doctor shook his head.

“What does it matter now, when it’s all over?” She was looking at the Doctor, who was trying to cover her hand in bandages, mobilising her wrist and her hand with his equipment, “It doesn’t look god…”

“You have few broken joints, but you managed to escape with only minor injuries. I just fixated your hand, so it can heal… You shouldn’t be moving a lot now, is that clear?” The Doctor raised his head, looking at Hanako’s happy face, who seemed to be unaffected by the current situation.

“As clear as the sky, Doctor!” Hanako winked, when the door to the nursery room opened. Crow, Jack and Yusei entered the room, while others waited outside, because Yusei asked them to.

“How is she, Doctor?” Crow approached Hanako first.

“She’s perfectly fine!” Doctor smiled, moving away from Hanako, leaving her to get used to the bandages, so she tried to move her hand a bit, just to get the feeling.

“See, guys? I told you not to worry about me!” She waved with her hand, but it started to hurt, so she stopped all of a sudden with her face showing she’s in pain.

“But you are still hurt, Baby! You know that, right?” Jack raised an eyebrow, looking at her struggle to speak.

“Oh, it’ll heal in no time!” She was persistent, as she tried to jump down from the table, but her leg started to hurt, “Ouch!”

“Ako!” Yusei shouted, trying to catch her by reaching his hand and taking her into his arms.

“Thanks, Yusei!” She smiled, looking at him.

“You owe me one, again”, he smiled back to her, gently placing her body back to where she was sitting.

“You should be resting now, Baby!” Doctor said calmly with his voice slightly strict, “You’re OK but your wounds won’t heal unless you take a break!”

Hanako nodded looking at the guys, “But I will be riding my runner soon, right?”

“Anything you like, just not this week!” Doctor nodded.

“You should listen to the Doctor, Baby!” Crow raised his finger, “We don’t want you to end up in the hospital when Satellite connects with the City!”

“Oh, yeah! I almost forgot about it!” Hanako’s smile spread all over her face, “I’ll be a good girl, I promise!” She nodded, looking at her best friends.

“If only I can believe her words…” Jack sighed, shaking his head.

“Guess we’ll have to keep an eye on her”, Crow murmured, looking at Jack crossing his hands, as all three of them were now looking at Hanako, judging her with their eyes.

“What?!?” She looked at them with confused look and just after that, they all started laughing out loud, so the Doctor left them alone, to spend some time together. They started talking about all kinds of stuff, as the time started passing by… After all those years of separation, she finally found her lost friends and was happy to have them by her side again, “I really missed you guys!”

“We missed you, too”, Jack nodded.

“Hey, talk for yourself!” Crow shouted angrily.

“You’re talking like you haven’t missed her, Crow”, Yusei was confused.

“I was the one, who stayed by her side! She never got a chance to miss me!” He raised his head proudly, “Isn’t that right, Baby?” He looked at her like he was looking for a confirmation.

“Even if you’re not right, you always have a point”, she giggled and her words made Crow blush, so he started scratching the back of his neck.

“Anyways, we should leave her to rest now, don’t you think?” Jack said calmly, so Crow and Yusei agreed, giving him a nod, as all three of them started exiting the room.

Just after Crow and Jack left, Yusei stopped near the doorway, turning around to meet Hanako’s presence, because she called for his name.

“What is it, Baby?”

“Do you think a better future is waiting for us now?” She whispered, looking down at the ground below her feet. Her words made Yusei worry for her, because he felt like she doubts something deep down inside of her, so he approached her.

“Look at me”, he whispered, placing his hand under her chin and raising her look to meet her eyes, “This duel with Godwin taught us a lot… It wasn’t easy, but we made it… Together!”

Hanako’s eyes widened, after she realised Yusei’s face was closer to her, than she thought, “Do you know what will happen next…?”

“I don’t”, he said calmly, “But I know that we create our own future!” He gave her a smile.

“So you believe I can make a better future for my kids?” She whispered, still gazing into his eyes.

“I believe in that, because I trust you!” Yusei nodded, “You’re strong and you’re trying hard, so there’s no place for failure!”

“Sometimes… I wish I was as brave as you are…” She sighed and her words made Yusei laugh, so he backed away.

“I’m not brave, Baby!” He shook his head, “I’m like that, because I have my friends, who trust in me, who support me and who give me strength…” He stopped for a moment, so she focused on his gestures, “And it’s also because I have you by my side!”

“Yusei…” She murmured, looking at him, coming closer to her.

“I just remembered we have some unfinished business here”, he chuckled, looking at her, after he remembered that Scrap-iron Flower in his pocket that she gave to him before the battle with the Dark Signers started.

“What are you talking about?!” Hanako’s body started to shiver.

“This…” He reached for his pocket, “I believe…” He whispered, looking at her confused look. She was waiting for something to happen with her eyes waiting for a surprise, “Belongs to you!” He took the Flower, to give it back to her, when all of a sudden, they heard someone’s voice shouting from behind the door.

“Yusei!!!” The door opened, revealing Ruka, Rua and Aki, standing on the doorway.

“Guys!” Yusei smiled, after he saw them there.

“I have a new strategy!” Rua said, “You have to duel me!”

“And I assume Aki and Ruka will cheer for you?” Yusei giggled.

“You bet!” Ruka smiled.

“We can’t wait for the duel to start!” Aki added.

“Sure, but…” Yusei said, but then he realised he failed to return Hanako’s gift back to her, so he turned around to meet her eyes once again.

“It’s OK”, she smiled, like she knew what was bothering him, “I can wait!”

“Are you sure?”

“What are days or weeks compared to the two long years that I have waited just meet you again?” She slightly smiled, making her eyes slightly melt to the thought that she finally found him.

“You’re right!” Yusei smiled back to her and exited the room, leaving Hanako all alone in the nursery room, so she was finally able to take some rest (…)

As the time was passing by, the City was connected to Satellite and Hanako couldn’t hide her excitement. On her way to Daedalus Bridge, where she was supposed to meet her old friends from the orphanage: Crow, Jack and Yusei, she was thinking about the better future and the bright side of the outcome, after the battle ended. She was the last to arrive, so she approached her friends, looking at the sea and breathing in the fresh air with her eyes closed.

“We finally did it, huh?” Crow smiled when she arrived.

“Yeah!” Yusei added with a smile.

“Hit me with my wrench if I’m dreaming!” Hanako opened her eyes to burn the sight into her memory.

“This is not a dream, Baby!” Crow laughed,

“And the battle was long…” Jack started.

“Now Satellite and the City are united as one!” Yusei was the one to conclude it all.

“The legend of the Daedalus Bridge has come to life!” Crow smiled happily.

“And now I finally have a perfect story to tell to my kids!” Hanako jumped in excitement and clapped her hands,, feeling relieved that her wounds healed perfectly by now.

“Baby, you don’t have any…” Jack rolled his eyes.

“So what, Jack?! I will someday!”

“Yeah, when Yusei finally realises his runner can’t cook!” Crow laughed at his own joke.

“What was that again?” Hanako raised an eyebrow, but Yusei treid to stop them, after he sensed this could turn into a fight.

“Guys…”

“Stay outta this, Yusei!” Crow, Jack and Hanako shouted back to him, synchronised. As the silence took over and Yusei left confused and shocked by their reaction, everyone burst out laughing, but then, all of a sudden, Jack remembered something.

“Yet, there’s still one thing left undone!”

“Oh, I know what you mean!” Crow clenched his fists, proud of himself.

“Hey, don’t go all hyped without me!” Hanako pouted her lips.

“It’s time for our showdown!” Crow shouted all hyped with his hands raised up in the air.

“It’ll be my pleasure!” Yusei nodded.

“The last one driving will treat me an ice cream!” Hanako smiled, getting on her runner and placing her helmet on her head.

“Let’s go! Crow! Jack! Baby!” Yusei revved his engine, “Off to our future!”

“Riding duel!” Hanako shouted, as all four of them drove away, speeding over the Neo Daedalus Bridge, straight to Neo Domino City, where they now lived. Yusei was the one to stand out, jumping with his runner up in the air with feelings of happiness and fulfilment now that it was finally over.

“Accelaration!” He shouted, leading his three friends to Neo Domino City for their new futures…


	19. A New Threat

14th Chapter

(following anime episode 65)

**A new Threat**

It has been six months since the battle with the Dark Signers ended and Neo Domino City was finally connected to Satellite, leaving boundaries between people be just the part of the past. Undergoing a complete change, Neo Domino City became the centre of unity, as every single person was united as one, to restore the City after the Signers finally brought peace among citizens.

Yusei went for a ride to breathe in some fresh air and to enjoy the view of the new city that he created with the help of his friends almost half a year ago. With Hanako driving her runner next to him, they were speeding around the city in silence, not talking to each other and it was something Hanako was able to understand completely. Just like Yusei, she loved being either alone or just silent with him by her side… She got lost in her thoughts, so she never realised how silence has taken over them for such a long time. Ever since they started their ride, he hasn’t said a single word to her, but she wasn’t any different nor was she disturbed by that fact. However, none of them had a single clue about how something bad will soon to happen…

Hanako got lost in her thoughts, looking around the city to enjoy the breathtaking view of unity between the citizens of Satellite and Neo Domino City, when something else drew her attention. She saw a huge poster glued to one of the buildings, so she stopped her runner all of a sudden, making Yusei leave her behind. It wasn’t like her to stop so unexpectedly, but that poster being glued to the building by one of the workers just couldn’t escape her yes.

“Baby!” Yusei stopped his runner almost half a mile farther, turning in the opposite direction, speeding back to the place where Hanako stopped, “Is something wrong?”

“Check this out!” She shouted, pointing with her finger to the worker that was adjusting the poster to the building wall.

“W.R.G.P.?”

“Do you think we can apply for the tournament?” She smiled.

“Tournament?” Yusei was still slightly confused, trying to figure out what she was talking about, when he saw a text underneath the title. _Riding Duel Acceleration,_ it said.

“Yeah!” Hanako nodded happily, “World Racing Grand Prix!” She explained to Yusei, using the full name of the title.

“I see…” Yusei murmured, “It could be a great opportunity for us to test our skills!” He smiled.

“Exactly!” Hanako shouted happily, “And applies are in teams consisting of three members!”

“Tag Duelling?” Yusei raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know but it’s worth checking, don’t you think?” She turned her head back at him, “I bet Crow and Jack would be thrilled!” Hanako couldn’t hide her excitement, as she was impatiently waiting to share this with Crow and Jack.

“Sure”, Yusei nodded, “Let’s go back to the garage!” He started his engine, entering the streets in full speed, so Hanako did the same, trying to catch up with him…

They were going back to their garage at Zola’s place. She was Martha’s friend, who lived in Neo Domino City and was happy to help and take the four of Martha’s now grown up kids under her roof. However, they still had to pay for the bills and buy themselves food, so they decided to get a job, while in Neo Domino City. Crow was doing delivery on his Blackbird, Hanako was always running around the city to repair and fix devices and household appliances, while Yusei did his best to develop the new engine for W.R.G.P, as Crow and Jack were more than happy to apply for the tournament.

And just after a week of working hard, Yusei asked Crow and Jack to test the engine with him, while Hanako was away on a terrain, doing her job hard, for the workaholic she was; just like Martha raised her.

“Hey, Yusei...” Crow was looking at Yusei’s screen on the monitor, trying to understand the numbers on it, “Maybe we should wait for Hanako to check this engine with you!”

“She's too busy with her work”, Yusei answered calmly looking at the monitor screen, wearing protection goggles on his head, while trying to remain focused on his engine stability.

“Oh...” Crow murmured, looking suspiciously at Yusei, not believing his words, because he was so cold and distant. Doubting his words, Crow decided to tease Yusei, because he knew Hanako would do anything to test the new engine and help Yusei with building it, “You’ve never asked her, have you?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I told you, she's too busy”, Yusei was persistent, still playing cold and indifferent.

“But you didn't ask...?” Crow wanted to know the truth.

“No”, Yusei answered in his tone, explaining himself, “She'd refuse it anyway!”

“C'mon, Yusei!” Crow started waving with his hands, disappointed in what Yusei said, “You act like you don't know her!” He was a bit angry at Yusei, who didn’t want to talk about it, "You know she'd do anything to help you with that engine. She loves that more than anything else in the world!” He stopped, looking at Yusei, not believing that he is doing this, “Sometimes, I think she loves her engine more than me...” He shook his head at the thought, trying to pull Yusei out of his stubbornness.

“It doesn't matter now”, Yusei answered, “She's not here anyway…”

Jack was listening to their conversation, as impatience started growing stronger inside his soul, so he got the need to interrupt, them, “She's not here, because you never asked her if she wants to be here in the first place!”

“Jack’s right, Yusei!” Crow shrugged with anger, “You can’t do everything on your own!” Yusei was looking at Crow, moving away from the computer, “We even defeated Dark Signers together, remember?” Crow crossed his hands, as the silence took over the garage, leaving them without words to be said, before Yusei managed to say something with his head bowed.

“I’m sorry, guys…”

“Finally!” Crow shouted with his hands in the air.

“You can tell her that when she comes!” Jack added, while thinking about that engine test, not being able to sustain himself from excitement, “Now that we solved this, let's get to work!” He was already sitting on the prototype, hyped about the test, as he impatiently waited for Yusei to start his check-up, so Yusei just turned the engine on, giving Jack a nod, while Crow was left out.

“So much from my big speech!” He rolled his eyes, but Jack and Yusei just ignored him.

Yusei switched hit prototype into Duel Mode, carefully tracking the numbers on the screen and statistics of the engine’s state, as Jack was constantly revving the engine, “Output is at 70%, 75… 80%…” Yusei was shouting with his voice, to drown out the sound of his new engine, while Jack’s happy face couldn’t help but smile widely.

Seeing the scene, Crow just felt like he has to join them, so he leaned towards the monitor screen over Yusei’s right shoulder, checking what’s going on, “Alright, looking good!” He clenched his fists, turning to Jack now, “Just put it right into the red zone!”

“Leave it to me!” Jack said proudly, “There’s nothing Jack Atlas can’t do!”

But just when Jack revved the engine, output rose over 90%, so Yusei immediately reacted, “Jack, decelerate!”

“What?!? I can't hear you!” Jack shouted back, trying hard to analyse what Yusei said, because the sound of the engine was too loud.

“Jack, deceler-!” Crow tried shouting louder, but then something went wrong and the explosion could be heard in the whole neighbourhood, gaining attention of all the people near Zola's house.

Yusei shielded himself and Crow with a huge metal board that looked like a part from rejected runner, so Crow moved it away, after realising it was now safe to do so, as the fog from the explosion disappeared. After Crow looked at the mess that was left after the explosion, Yusei approached his prototype to see what’s going on, removing his goggles in the process, “You two OK?”

“Yes, I'll manage!” Crow smiled, while his face was all dirty and his hair a mess, but Jack was nowhere to be seen, so Yusei started to worry.

“What just went wrong, Yusei?!” Yusei heard Jack’s voice, as Jack suddenly jumped out of the pile of destroyed engine parts that were lying on the ground. His sentence made everyone look at the pile of junk that was, just a minute ago, a great and stabilised prototype.

“Good grief, my precious engine...” Yusei murmured in defeat, kneeling down to see if he can save some parts, so he started picking up what was left.

“See!” Crow shouted with his head up in the air, as he was proud of himself to prove Yusei wrong, “This wouldn't happen, if Hanako was here!”

“Can't you see he's too stubborn?” Jack said with irritation in his voice, “There's no use in talking him into that!”

“Look who’s talking!” Crow shouted angrily, “You messed it up yourself, too!”

“I beg your pardon?!?” Jack raised an eyebrow.

“You got carried away and overdid it!”

“You told me to max out the acceleration!”

“Oh, so a man of Jack-sama’s calibre just meekly followed orders with a ‘Yes, right on it’, when told to by someone else, huh?” Crow teased Jack back, “If there’s a weird noise like that midstream; you’d normally decelerate, wouldn’t you?”

“What was that now?!?” Jack raised his voice, “You wanna tussle?!?” Crow looked at Jack clenching his fists like he was about to punch him in the face, but he didn’t mind; not until Jack took his shirt from underneath his neck and dragged him closer to his face, preparing his fist to kick his ass.

As Jack and Crow started shouting at each other, more and more people gathered around their garage that was placed in the basement of Zola’s house, without them three even realising it, so all of a sudden the door opened, and Zola rushed in like the house was on fire.

Just at that time, Hanako was near the house, coming back from her terrain work, when seeing Zola on the doorway and a bunch of people standing around, murmuring to each other, drew her attention.

“What the…?!?” She murmured to herself, running to the garage as quick as she possibly could. When she sneaked through the front door, she saw Zola yelling at Jack and Crow, like they destroyed something, so her body started to shiver, hoping they haven’t done anything reckless while she was away.

“You boys again?!?” Zola shouted with hands on her hips.

“Granny Zola?” Crow raised an eyebrow.

“That annoying old wench…” Jack murmured, seeing her angry face.

“Watch your tone!” Zola shouted, because she was irritated by Jack’s insults, “I let you stay because you know Martha, but if you’re gonna cause problems, then you can take a hike!” She reached her hand, pointing to the outside of the garage, where Hanako was standing.

“Hold on!” Jack tried to stop her from throwing them out, “This is an accident! We tried to test our new engine and-”

“Zola, what's wrong?” Hanako decided to interrupt their arguing, while peeking through the door.

“These guys of yours are making a mess again!”

“Again!?!” Hanako shouted, as her eyes widened. She turned her head, narrowed her eyes and looked at Jack and Crow like she is about to kill them for making Zola trouble, “I told you not to make Zola angry!”

Yusei stood out before Jack and Crow, looking up to the top of the stairs at Zola and Hanako, “We’re sorry, Zola”, He murmured, trying to explain, “We got a little carried away in a test…”

“Oh, Yusei-chan! One or two failures are fine!” Zola softened to Yusei’s words, pulling her hands together, “Failures are the quickest route to success, after all!” She started approaching the guys, as all three of them were looking at her, confused by her sudden change of mood. Their eyes were moving in Zola’s direction, when she stood in front of Yusei, whispering something to him with her mouth covered from the left side, “Listen, I’m technically your landlord, so I need to tell you off for the time being, okay?”

“O-okay…” Yusei looked at her happy face with confusion written all over his face and he had no idea what to say to her, while Jack and Crow sighed in relief.

“They will never change…” Hanako whispered to herself, looking at Zola’s funny actions that made guys even more confused, as they were having a hard time believing their ears. Hanako giggled at the scene, but soon her attention was dragged to the outside, when she saw a police car parking itself in front of Zola’s house, so Zola’s mood changed and she rushed outside to see what is going on. There Hanako saw officer Ushio and Mikage, coming out of the vehicle and just when she wanted to say hello, Zola interrupted them.

“S-Security?!? U-um… My apologies!” She started sweating, trying to find a good excuse for what happened in the garage of her own house, “We didn’t intend on causing any problems with anyone from Security...” She was hoping for the best, when she lost the words to say, while Hanako was standing next to her, so Crow, Yusei and Jack approached the two at the doorway, seeing a bunch of unknown people standing around the building, watching what’s going on.

“What?” Ushio said with a smirk, “They failed again?” He looked at Hanako and winked, making her blush, but then he turned to Zola again, “You can relax. We are here on unrelated business…”

“Oh? Is that so?” Zola was surprised at the sudden turn of tides.

“Unrelated business?” Hanako looked at Ushio, waiting for explanation with one eyebrow raised.

“Yes! We need to talk to the three of you!” Mikage approached them, looking at Yusei, Crow and Jack that were standing behind Hanako, who was blinking in confusion, looking at Mikage, waiting for her to say something about her, too… But nothing happened.

“What about me?” She finally said.

“It concerns you as well”, Ushio murmured worriedly.

“Oh… OK!” Hanako naively smiled, not knowing why Ushio and Mikage came here and it didn’t even matter to her, because it concerned her as well, so she felt like a part of the team.

Yusei pointed to the garage, allowing Mikage and Ushio to enter, so he waited for all of them to go inside, so he can shut the door, because he assumed there’s something serious going on in the City. When they were all in, he immediately started cleaning the mess he made, searching for some parts of the engine that were not destroyed, so he can use them again.

“Still developing those D-Wheels, I see…” Ushio murmured, looking at Yusei picking up some parts from the pile, while Hanako sat down on the stairs, carefully listening to their conversation.

“Yeah”, Yusei picked up a cogwheel, “We absolutely need a new engine to win the Grand Prix in a year or so…”

“Entries are in three-man groups, after all”, Crow was standing behind Ushio, with his body leaned on the wall of the stairs, with Hanako sitting on them, right next to him, slightly above his shoulder. He pointed to the poster that was hanging on the stairway wall, “Since we are improving three machines, no amount of time will be enough time for us!”

Hanako was still silent; having no idea they had a hard time developing the engine, because Yusei never told her about it… When she saw the mess that Yusei tried to clean up, everything became clear for her, but she decided to stay silent, when Jack started talking after Crow.

“The first, prestigious Grand Prix is being held here in Neo Domino City”, Jack slightly kicked the wall with another W.R.G.P. poster in the garage, “The winners of it will become legends in the Riding Duel World, and attaining that glory is our dream!”

“You mean your dream, Jack?” Crow teased.

“Wait!” Ushio just ignored Crow’s words, “Isn’t that something that Hanako can do in less than a month or two?”

“Sounds like it to me…” Hanako shrugged, answering Ushio’s question. She was playing dumb, because no one ever asked her for help.

“Without money and appropriate tools and parts…” Crow started again, looking at Yusei suspiciously.

“…We can't do much!” Yusei added with his face saddened.

“Yep, I agree!” Hanako giggled, “They can’t!” She was looking at the guys with her eyes narrowed and Crow immediately recognised that expression, but Yusei just remained silent.

“To think that’s the reason why you’ve been working jobs while slaving away at building your machines”, Ushio said not getting the joke between Crow and Hanako, “I’m sure you guys could get as many sponsors as you want!”

“Naw! We don’t need ‘em!” Crow waved with his hand, “There’s only a point if we win this tournament on our own!”

“That’s right!” Yusei was cleaning his cogwheel with a cloth, while approaching Mikage and Ushio. “With the city and Satellite finally united, we were given a chance to be citizens. But, as to what we can do or how we can contribute to this city… I think that will come into view by winning this tournament!”

Jack and Crow nodded with a smile to Yusei’s statement, while Hanako was just looking at them confused, with slight anger resting inside of her, for not letting her help them, but she didn’t want to stick her nose into their own business, so remained silent.

“That’s why we want to do this by our own hands!” Yusei said again with pride.

“That really sounds like you three”, Mikage smiled.

“You are starting to talk like a bunch of wise guys”, Ushio agreed.

“Yeah”, Crow chuckled, “I just hope we won’t be like Hanako and turn into daddy-like figures!”

“Hey, what was that supposed to mean?” She shouted angrily from above, looking down to meet Crow’s eyes.

“Nothing…” Crow murmured, like he wasn’t interested in her.

“You!” Hanako shouted, as her eyes narrowed again, “You’ll get grounded for this, Crow!”

“Yes, mom!” Crow teased.

“Argh, you…” Hanako jumped from the stairs on Crow’s back, wrapping her hands around his neck, shaking his hair and trying to make a mess out of it.

“Anyway, what did you need to talk about?” Jack turned to Mikage, as he decided that it’s better to ignore Crow’s and Hanako’s childish ideas.

“You heard the rumours about Ghost?” Ushio started.

“Ghost?” Yusei raised an eyebrow.

“You mean that creepy guy, who’s patrolling around the city at night?” Hanako said, as her eyes widened, when Crow suddenly stopped running around, carrying her on his back.

“Yeah, I’m familiar”, Crow said, letting Hanako go, “The bastard, who crops up on the highway every night, challenges you to a duel and makes you crash, right?”

“Exactly!” Ushio nodded, “Ever since Neo Domino City united with Satellite, they haven’t regulated Riding Duels on the highway. Instead, it’s gotten to the point where they built and advocated special courses…”

“And Speed World II was developed from traditional Speed World as an official card for the World Grand Prix…” Hanako murmured.

“How do you know all that?” Jack was shocked.

“I tested it already!” Hanako giggled.

“You what?!?” Yusei and Jack shouted with one voice, as their eyes widened.

“Anyway…” Ushio just sighed, wanting to get back to business, “D-Wheelers are gathering from every corner of the world, which has the whole city charged up!”

“There are also guys among them that are knocking out other D-Wheelers in advance, right?” Crow added, so Mikage answered his question.

“The problem is in how he’s doing it!”

“What do you mean?” Hanako raised an eyebrow.

“A regular Riding Duel would never produce accidents that would hurt the opponent…”

“Then, what you’re telling us is that Ghost is using some unlawful means to make his opponents crash?” Jack asked, looking at Mikage.

“That would be the case, Atlas-sama!” Mikage slightly bowed to Jack, like she was still under his watch.

“Sama?!?” Ushio was terrified, trying to pull Mikage back to earth, “Hey, Chief!!!”

“Hey, hey! Hold up a sec!” Crow started shouting, while interrupting their conversation, “So, the reason you came here… Don’t tell me it’s because you want us to help crack the case, is it?!?”

“Good guess!” Ushio answered calmly, making Hanako smile widely.

“Yes! Count me in!” She clenched her fists, “We’re gonna kick some butt!”

“How’s about it, Yusei?” Ushio smiled to her reaction, but then turned to the black haired boy.

Yusei looked at Hanako’s smile, a bit confused while thinking about the offer, “Well… I don’t mind…”

Hanako smiled even more to Yusei’s agreement, but then Crow jumped in, “No way, no how! We’re busy preparing for the Grand Prix that is almost a year away! Yusei is developing the machines and I and Hanako are working so hard we barely sleep, all to raise the funds!” He approached Ushio and Mikage, kicking them out of the garage, “And you’re suggesting we tread thin ice like that? You’re throwing us off task, now! Amscray! Amscray!” He shut the door of the garage, making sure no one can enter it again to interrupt their business, “Well, let’s get back to the tests!” Crow was pointing with his head to Hanako, while looking at Yusei, trying to signalise him how this is the perfect timing to ask Hanako for help.

“Ah, sure…” Yusei murmured, looking at Crow, still confused and embarrassed, because he wasn’t ready to ask Hanako to stay with him and build the new engine.

“You shouldn’t do that, Crow! Are you crazy?!?” Hanako looked at him with anger in her eyes, “They asked us for help! You can’t turn your back on them like that… Besides, you’re not the only one deciding for the team! We’re all in this together! The four of us!” While she was shouting at him, he kept tilting his head towards Yusei, still persistent with the idea to ask Hanako for help, but Yusei was trying to refuse Crow’s idea, shaking his head.

“Just ask her…” Crow shouted through a whipser, so he could barely hear his own words.

Hanako stopped with yelling, “Ask me what?!?” She looked at Crow, like she demanded the answer, making the silence between them grow stronger, Jack decided to jump into their conversation.

“Baby, Yusei was trying to ask you…” He said after realising how everyone was silent to Hanako’s question, so he decided to be honest with her.

“…out!” Crow shouted all of a sudden, keeping his eyes locked on Jack’s. He knew he had to do something, just so Jack doesn’t admit to Hanako what was Yusei’s obligation to do, because he needed her help, not Jack’s or Crow’s himself. It was a lie, what he said, but he couldn’t change what was done, so he waited for Hanako's reaction, as her face turned red and she was embarrassed, looking at Yusei... Without expecting she would hear something like that.

“Quit it, Crow!” Jack shouted back angrily, “Look at her face!” He approached Crow, kicking his head with his fist and then turning back to Hanako, “Sorry, Baby! He was trying to say how Yusei should...”

“Stop it right there, Jack!” Crow waved with his hands, trying to shut Jack’s mouth, “It's Yusei, who should say it to her. It's not our business!”

Jack was hesitating at first, “Yeah, maybe you're right!” But then he agreed, looking at Yusei’s eyes, hoping how he will be able to do this, “I'm outta here for now... I need some coffee…” He gesture to Crow how they should go out and leave them alone; while Hanako was looking at them with a confusion rolling around her face.

“Wait for me! I have a delivery to do!” Crow shouted, not even taking his runner with him because being suspicious was the last thing on his mind right now.

And just before they left, Jack stopped and turned his head to Hanako, “If you need us for anything, you know where to find us, Baby!”

Hanako nodded in confusion, trying to figure out what just happened, as she looked at Jack and Crow leave the garage. She was now left alone with Yusei, which made her even more embarrassed, so she moved her look away, trying to hide her face. After a few silent minutes, she looked around and saw the mess on the ground that made Zola so angry, “Now that I'm here, say... What's all this mess about?”

“Jack was testing the engine when he accelerated more and then this happened…”

Hanako kneeled down and started picking some good parts that were not destroyed, while throwing away the garbage that couldn't be used anymore, “The output power went over 85%, right?”

“Yeah, it started heating itself all of a sudden”, Yusei agreed.

“I see...” Hanako murmured with her eyes still glued to the mess, “We should re-programme the chip!”

“What does the chip have anything to do with that?”

“I'll show you after we clean this mess up”, she looked up to meet Yusei’s eyes, showing him her smile.

“Oh, OK...” He murmured, kneeling down next to her, to help her clean up the mess. He was looking at her, confused and still not sure whether he should talk to her or not, so he decided to remain silent, but soon after that, Hanako got tired of that silence.

“About what Crow said...” She whispered with a blush, “Was it really… a joke?”

“It was...” Yusei murmured, like he already knew what she wanted to ask him. He didn’t want to look her in the eyes, because he was already feeling guilty for not asking her for help, but then she just curled her lips, like she wanted to hear something else from him, when he said again, “But not entirely...” So her eyes widened, when he continued, “You see... I just wanted to...”

“What?” She raised her eyebrows, looking at his face, as they were now sitting on the floor next to each other.

“Sorry, Baby... I was just too ignorant...” he said, like he moved to another subject.

“Ignorant?!?” Hanako was confused, “What do you mean?”

“I'm doing my best to develop the new engine for the W.R.G.P. and I...”

“Is something wrong, Yusei?” Hanako wanted to get straight to the point of this conversation, because he was obviously having a hard time to talk about it.

“You know... How should I put it...?”

“Just say it to me, OK?” Hanako shook her head with a smile, but then silence took over the garage again.

“I can't do it alone…” He finally said, avoiding eye contact.

“But you're not alone! They are both here with you!”

“It's not about them... I need your help with the engine!”

“Oh!” Hanako was caught by surprise, “Why didn't you say so?!?”

“I thought you were too busy, earning money for our living...” He murmured, ashamed for not letting her know earlier, as he waited for her to scold him for this, bus she just laughed from the bottom of her heart.

“You will never change, Yusei!”

“What have I done wrong?” Yusei looked at her reaction, while his eyes widened.

“I'm not too busy”, she giggled, “I like to work and it's true I'm never home, but if you need help, I'll find the time to help you... You know how much I like developing engines!”

“I know”, he said calmly, “I just didn't want you to put your needs to the side because of me”.

“Yusei, it's not because of you, it's for the team! If you want to participate in the W.R.G.P., you're going to need all the help possible, so count me in!”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah... I'm spending half of the day away in Satellite with Martha, anyway. It's not just for work that I'm absent!”

“I see... Then we have a deal!” Yusei finally smiled, looking at Hanako’s dark sapphire eyes that were shining so bright they could lit the darkness of the night,.

“You bet!” She nodded.

Yusei was happy to have her to help him, making his soul relaxed now, because everything was easier with her by his side… The only problem was is that he was just having a hard time admitting it to himself or at least saying it out loud, “I just remembered something...” He suddenly changed the subject, reaching for his pocket, trying to find the Scrap-iron Flower, to give it back to her, but it wasn’t there. It must have fallen somewhere on the ground during the engine test.

“What... Is it...?” Hanako whispered, looking at Yusei tapping his pockets. She was trying not to show her emotions and feelings to Yusei, because she was wondering what he wanted from her and whether what Crow said was really just a joke… Crow would joke with her a lot, but there was always something truthful lying dormant in his jokes and Hanako knew it.

“I always fail in this intention...” Yusei shrugged, since he couldn’t find that flower, so he started looking around, trying to find it somewhere near this huge mess caused by the engine explosion. It didn’t take him long to see the flower lying on the ground behind Hanako’s right side, so he got closer to her, leaning towards her body, trying to reach the flower, while Hanako was looking at him getting closer and closer with each second, making her cheeks blush, as her heart started beating faster. She felt shivering and tickling down her spine, as Yusei leaned his body towards her with his nose almost touching hers, before he grabbed the flower from the ground, leaving her shocked and frozen in place.

“Yusei... I...” She barely whispered, while blushing and looking at him, feeling embarrassed, because of the closeness between them, but the sudden tone of his voice made her come back to reality.

“There!” He smiled, holding the flower in his hands. He must have dropped it during the engine testing. Hanako looked at him, realising what he wanted to do, feeling so stupid and naive, for imagining them so close and... She shook her head, before looking at his deep royal blue eyes, just to find herself completely lost in his gaze. The silence took over, as they were both too stunned by the eyes of the other to move.

“Is something wrong?” She whispered, looking at his face, trying hard to keep breathing normally.

“Sorry, I was just…” He tried to explain his sudden hypnosis by her gorgeous sapphire eyes, when he saw a strand of her hair, isolating itself from her braid, just to fall over her face, probably because she was working hard ever since the early morning, so he grabbed it gently, pulling it behind her ear and moving his hand on her cheek, “…it’s nothing!” He whispered to her, remembering the flower in his hand, but she already closed her eyes at his warm and gentle touch, so he smiled, feeling blessed to see her enjoying being with him like that. He couldn’t help himself, but lean towards her forehead and plant a kiss on it, making her open her eyes in surprise. And just before she could say something to him, Yusei’s monitor screen made strange noises, losing its display.

Hanako's eyes widened, “What was that?”

“I don't know...” Yusei moved away, jumping to the table with his computer, to check the system. He saw the image of his runner's data started fading away, but it was only for a short while.

“It looks like wiring shortened out”, Hanako murmured after she approached the table.

“A short circuit?” Yusei guessed, running to see the switches from the house, but there was no sign of changes, “It's not us!”

“Then the City?” Hanako raised an eyebrow, looking at Yusei checking the switches.

“I doubt!” He said worriedly, “It's not connected with the electricity, because our bulbs haven't reacted!”

“You're right!” Hanako was looking at Yusei, when all of a sudden everything turned back to how it was, “But what could it be?”

Yusei moved to his runner to check if everything was OK, “What just happened?!?” He was confused, but then he saw his screen turning on, showing Crow's face on it.

“I'll tell you what happened...” Crow was serious and worried, like something bad happened. He explained to Yusei how Ushio was involved with a crash by Ghost and ended up in the hospital. So Yusei and Hanako rushed to the hospital, bringing Jack along…

*** * ***

“I can’t believe Gramps tried to take Ghost down all by himself!” Hanako shouted, before Yusei opened rushed through the entrance of the hospital, with Jack and Hanako following him. When they reached the waiting room, they saw Mikage impatiently waiting, while Crow looked up for his eyes to meet with the others.

“Guys!”

Jack ran to Mikage first, “Is it true that Ushio was attacked?!?”

“Yes...” She nodded, while Hanako’s eyes started sparkling, while she was listening to their conversation.

“What's his condition?” Yusei asked, trying to remain calm.

“He is in the emergency room now…” Crow murmured, when the doctors brought Ushio on the operation table, so everyone turned to them.

“Ushio!” Crow was the first one to shout worriedly, seeing Ushio covered in bandages and he looked like his life was in danger.

“You all will have to move!” Shouted one of the crew, “They're about to perform emergency surgery!”

“Ushio, what happened?” Yusei approached Ushio’s body.

“Yusei...” The officer murmured, fighting the pain, “Don't use Synchros on... Ghost...”

“Synchros?!?” Hanakow as shocked with a lot of questions rolling around her mind, but there was no time to ask them, as one of the doctors moved them away from Ushio.

“You shouldn't talk! Let's go!” They took him to the operation room, closing the door, so a light on the operation signed turned on, showing its red lights, leaving everyone outside in silence.

“Why did you let Ushio do that?” Jack approached Mikage, talking to her like he was still her boss, but she moved her look away, avoiding eye contact.

“He said that we shouldn’t rely on all of you anymore and offered to act as a bait”, she murmured ashamed for what happened, “This is all my fault...”

“Crow, you idiot!” Hanako shouted all of a sudden, feeling hard to watch Mikage blaming herself for what happened to Grandpa Ushio, “This wouldn't happen, if you just kept your mouth shut and let us help them!”

“Cut it out, Baby!” Yusei narrowed his eyes, keeping his voice calm and cold, “Let's go back to the garage for now…”

*** * ***

After going back to the garage, Crow was furious and angry at himself, kicking the fist against the wall with W.R.G.P. poster glued on it, “Dammit! It's my fault Ushio wound up like that! If I had just said we'd cooperate back then...”

Yusei turned around to face Crow, while Jack just walked away from him.

“Stop, Crow!” Yusei turned to him, while Jack walked away, like he was minding his own business, “What's done is done! Besides, if Ushio was taken down that much, this Ghost must be one substational player!”

“And that's why we can't just sit around twiddling our thumbs!” Crow protested.

“Well... Go figure yourself, Crow!” Hanako shouted, still angry for how Crow kicked Mikage and Ushio from the garage this morning, “Now you're talking about it when this is all over!”

Crow raised his head, as his eyes widened, when Yusei threw Crow’s black helmet to his hands, adjusting his gloves, “No one said we'd be sitting around twiddling our thumbs, Crow!”

“Only we can avenge him!” Jack shouted proudly, standing next to his runner, making Hanako smile, removing the covers from their D-Wheels.

“They're right, Crow! You really thought this Ghost can harm Gramps and get away with it?”

“Baby! Jack! Yusei! Awright!” Crow was looking at them with a huge smile on his face, as he placed his helmet on and revved his engine, so all four of them got away on the streets to look for that Ghost.

“We should separate, that way it'll be easier to track him down!” Yusei said, after few minutes of driving around.

“Sure!” Crow agreed, “I’m heading west!”

“Guess I’ll take east then!” Hanako giggled.

“South is my territory!” Jack shouted proudly.

“Well... I'll go north then!” Yusei nodded, “And guys, be careful!”

“Bring it on, Ghost!” Jack shouted all hyped about meeting that Ghost.

“Come out where we can see you!” Crow added.

“You think we'll be able to see him?” Hanako asked in confusion, since they have been driving around almost whole night, “People keep talking about him, but no one ever saw that guy!”

Crow looked at the horizon, “It's already sunrise!”

“Baby, you should go home, we'll stay and take care for this Ghost guy!” Jack said, but Yusei interrupted.

“No, Jack! She can't go back home alone!”

“Hey, I am not a little girl anym-“ Hanako tried to defend herself, but Crow’s words were faster than hers.

“Calm down, guys! It's OK. If one of us is going home, we all go!”

“Maybe we should go already...” Jack gave an idea, “We've been riding for this long and he's still not showing up?” Hearing his words, everyone just remained silent, patiently waiting to see if Ghost will appear.

After some time, someone started blinking with runner's lights back to Yusei, driving behind him, so his runner started analysing the vehicle from behind with the programme.

“He's here!” Yusei shouted, looking at the screen’s analysis.

“What?” Crow’s eyes widened.

“Speaking about the devil...” Hanako murmured, hearing Yusei’s voice activating the Speed Spell II World, when the line on the highway started realigning other vehicles to the left, making a path for the duel on the right side of the street. Hanako was looking in her screen, trying to connect her runner to Yusei's, just to keep an eye on his duel with Ghost, when suddenly her screen turned off and she lost the track of the guys. The electricity was cut for a moment, just like back in the garage, “Not this again...” She murmured, feeling her body shiver, as she had no idea what will happen to Yusei, so she decided to turn back, heading north, hoping she won’t be too late…


	20. Ghost in Disguise

15th Chapter

(following anime episode 66)

**Ghost in Disguise**

The sun started rising again, bringing new day to Neo Domino City, while Jack and Crow were speeding through the streets, looking out for Yusei and Hanako, searching on the way for any signs of duelling.

“To thought we’d be driving whole night and he had to show up just now!” Jack shouted angrily, looking at the rising sun, thinking about Ghost showing up like that.

“Yeah”, Crow nodded, “I just hope Yusei and Hanako are doing OK…”

“Don’t worry about them!” Jack smirked proudly, “If anyone can be drawn into a duel and get away with it, it’s surely Yusei!”

“I know, but it’s Hanako I’m worried about”, Crow whispered with worried look on his face.

“You think she might be in danger?” Jack asked, looking at his screen, trying to realise what Crow was thinking about, but his worried face showed no signs of anything in particular.

“No”, Crow murmured, thinking about how Hanako lost her positive energy again, but it seemed like he was the only one to notice that, “It's not that!"

“Then what is it?!?” Jack raised an eyebrow.

“It’s Yusei!” Crow finally said, feeling like his theory might be right.

“Where?!?” Jack jumped out from surprise, looking around to see if he can see any signs of Yusei near the streets of Neo Domino City, because Crow must have seen him somewhere.

“Nowhere, Jack!” Crow rolled his eyes, “It’s because of him I’m worried for Hanako!” He sighed, slightly irritated by Jack’s cluelessness, “Can’t you figure it out yourself?!?”

Jack shook his head, before he realised what was Crow talking about, “Don’t tell me they are-“ His voice was cut in half by the sound of weird noise on Crow’s screen.

“What the-?!?” Crow raised an eyebrow, looking at his screen, when his eyes widened in surprise, seeing Hanako’s face, “Baby?!?”

“I'm here, Crow!” Hanako smiled, “Are you guys all right!?!”

“Yeah!” Crow nodded in relief, “Jack and I are OK, but we can’t get in touch with Yusei”, he tried to explain.

“Me neither…” She murmured, “Something is not rig-” She tried to say, but then Jack jumped in.

“Maybe we should find him!”

“It’s no use Jack, we separated!” Crow said, shaking his head, “It will take hours to reach the north point of the city!”

“But if we start now, we might be there before…” Hanako started, when she saw the duelling lane opened and activated, “…the duel ends!” She ended slowly, keeping her eyes locked on the duelling lane.

“Duel?!?” Jack was surprised.

“There’s a duel starting near the exit to the north lane! I’m going there!” She said with determination in her voice, speeding up her runner, hoping to meet Yusei on her way.

“Hey, Baby! Wait for us!” Crow shouted, increasing the speed of his runner.

“Yeah, it’s too dangerous!” Jack added, turning his runner and heading north.

“There’s no time to waste! Yusei might be in danger!” Hanako said, feeling like she has to be there as soon as possible.

“What?!?” Crow and Jack shouted in unison.

“He’s duelling… Ghost...” Hanako murmured, as her eyes started sparkling with fear that something might happen to him.

“We better hurry then!” Crow nodded, doing his best to get there in time, while Jack speeded up even more, to meet both him and Hanako at the centre point of the city, where Yusei was duelling.

Crow was the first one to reach the centre, driving his runner on the lane that was parallel to the lane Yusei was, when he saw a giant robot summoned on the field, chasing Yusei’s runner, while Hanako was on the other side of the lane, “The heck is that?!?” He shouted in surprise, “I’ve never seen that monster before!”

“So that’s Ghost!” Crow heard Jack’s voice behind his back. He managed to keep up with Crow's speed, reaching Yusei just in time, “He is the one who injured Ushio!”

“We have to hurry!” Hanako added, seeing guys on the other side of the lane, “There!” She pointed to the Duel Gate 0014, “It will be easier to support Yusei straight from the lane!”

Crow and Jack looked at the direction Hanako was pointing to, so they both nodded in agreement, turning their runners and entering the gate, approaching the duel between Yusei and Ghost, but still keeping the safe distance between them. Crow immediately took this opportunity to connect his runner with Yusei’s, to watch the duel and have his eyes on the current situation, “What is this?” He saw Ghost’s monster on his screen that was made out of five different monsters, “That monster’s made out of five separate cards?” He looked at Jack, “Hey, Jack! What the hell kind of monster is that?!?”

“No idea, Crow! It’s no monster I’ve seen before!” Jack said, shaking his head, looking at his screen, “But its power will become apparent in Yusei’s duel with this fellow…”

“Let’s just hope that this fellow will not make Yusei crash!” Hanako added, joining her runner to Jack’s and Crow’s, so now all three of them were driving in sync behind Ghost and Yusei, with safe distance still being carefully kept between them.

“Hey, Baby, that reminds me”, Crow smiled, turning his head to Hanako, “Do you still have that card database in your visor?”

“I do, but…” She started her sentence through murmuring, pushing a button on the left side of her visor, “This monster is not archived in the database!”

“What?!?” Crow’s eyes were wide open, as he didn’t expect this to happen, "I thought Yusei’s gadgets are flawless!” Crow shrugged, remembering how Yusei placed all card info into those goggles, so it can help Hanako keep the track of the game.

“I have no idea what it is, but look there!” Hanako pointed to the duel between Yusei and Ghost, when the robot-like monster upgraded its arm, after Yusei destroyed it.

“What kind of monster is that?!” Crow shouted in disbelief, “An arm just combined with it!”

“It’s a combined monster!” Jack concluded, “So even if it loses parts, it can power up with new ones?”

“Well… We’ll just have to wait and see, I guess”, Hanako murmured, not happy with what just happened, so she looked at the current statistic of the duel: Yusei had one card face-down and his Stardust Dragon (ATK 2 500 / DEF 2 000) summoned on the field with 3 150 Life Points left, while Ghost had his strange robot monster and 2 400 Life Points. Their Speed Counters were at 4, which means it was only fourth turn, since the duel began.

“What is this?” Yusei shouted, looking behind his back, over his shoulder.

“It’s useless, Yusei Fudo!” Ghost laughed, “Machine Emperor Wisel is immortal!”

 _“I see_!” Yusei thought to himself, carefully studying the duelling board, _“I can destroy one part, but they would just revive one after another, and the five cards compensate others’ abilities…”_

Hanako was looking carefully at Yusei’s duelling, seeing his struggles that were given out by the look on his face, “Yusei…”

“This is more trouble than I was expecting!” Yusei said to himself, trying to scold himself for getting into this much trouble. He narrowed his eyes, sweating to the situation.

“It seems you realise the terror of my Machine Emperor!” They all heard Ghost talking, “However, the terror starts here!”

“Damn you! Why are you after D-Wheelers one after another even though you have such great power?!?” Yusei protested.

“D-Wheelers?” Ghost started laughing maniacally, “I’m not after D-Wheelers. I’m simply eliminating what’s unneeded in this world!”

“What’s unneeded?” Yusei raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, the unneeded things you call ‘Synchro monsters’!” Ghost added with his robotic tone in the voice, “They are the very symbol of further human evolution. That is something the world not need!” He raised his hand, pointing to Yusei, “Now, savour your experience, with the Synchro Killer’s power!”

“Synchro Killer?!?” Hanako was surprised.

“Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity’s effect activates!” Ghost continued with his turn, “It will absorb a Synchro Monster on my opponent’s field once per turn!”

“What?!?” Yusei’s eyes widened at Ghost’s words, but he wasn’t the only one left in surprise.

“Impossible!” Jack shouted, “Then Stardust will be…”

“…stolen away!” Crow ended his sentence, watching Ghost’s monster show some strange electric whips that were shoot at the Stardust Dragon, sucking him inside the robotic-like monster.

Yusei was looking at his Stardust being stolen, when he remembered Ushio’s words; his presence appeared like a flashback before Yusei’s eyes and it was like he could hear Ushio’s words again, “So this is what Ushio was talking about!” He looked at the field, “This thing is a Synchro Monster-capture robot!”

“Wisel Infinity will increase this card’s attack power by the attack power of equipped Synchro Monster!” Ghost added with his face full of satisfaction and power, “Stardust Dragon’s attack power is 2 500, thereby increasing Wisel Infinity’s attack power by 2 500 points!”

“It absorbed Stardust’s attack power!” Hanako shouted, as her heart started beating faster.

“And now has attack power of 5 000?!?” Crow added, looking at Ghost declaring a direct attack on Yusei.

“Yusei Fudo, you will suffer defeat from your own monster’s power!”

Crow shouted, “Yusei’s in trouble if he gets hit with this attack!” He looked at Hanako, but she was focused on the duel, still looking into her screen.

“Yusei, you better have a card up your sleeve!” She murmured with her voice trembling, but then she saw Jack and Crow, realising they are both smiling at the duel, so she paid more attention to it, seeing Yusei’s unexpected reaction with determination in his eyes.

“Trap, activate!” Yusei shouted, “Scrap-Metal Scarecrow! When an opposing monster launches an attack, this card will negate the attack, after its activation, it’ll be re-set!”

“You’re damn persistent!” Ghost said, “I place two cards face-down and end my turn!”

“C’mon, Yusei!” Hanako watched Yusei summon Vehicler (ATK 200 / DEF 200) and place one card face-down to end his turn, “You can do better than that!”

“Unable to do a thing, huh?” Ghost smirked, seeing Yusei’s powerlessness, but Yusei was trying hard to stay focused on the duelling.

 _“I have no comeback moves in my hand…”_ He thought to himself, _“I just have to ride this out!”_

“My turn!” Ghost’s words made Yusei snap out of his calculations, “Trap, activate! Wise A3! By sending the Wisel Attack on the field to the Cemetery, this card will Special Summon a Wisel Attack 3 from my hand!” After he explained his turn, his monster Machine Emperor Wisel started upgrading itself with new part, as soon as his monster was summoned, “Due to Wisel Attack 3’s entry into play, Machine Wisel’s attack power increases further!”

“Attack power of 5 400?!?” Crow shouted, as his eyes widened to the numbers on his screen.

“Go, Machine Emperor Wisel!” Ghost shouted, but Yusei had something else in his mind.

“If this goes through, it’s all over!” Hanako said through a whisper, but then Jack tried to make her feel better.

“He still has that Scarecrow thing on the field, remember?!?”

“I know, but…” Hanako looked at the duel again, seeing Yusei activate his trap card, Scrap-Metal Scarecrow again, negating Ghost’s attack.

“Yusei is hanging in there somehow…” Crow murmured.

“Yeah, but he shouldn’t be relaxing”, Jack agreed, “If one of those attacks should connect…” He stopped for a while, thinking about the whole duel and what Hanako said few moments ago, “Yusei will lose in that very instant!”

“You’re right!” Crow added like it was something that was expected to happen, “With his ace monster taken away, Yusei’s got no chance of winning!”

“Hey, Crow!” Hanako shouted angrily, “Whose side are you on?!?” She narrowed her eyes, piercing Crow’s presence with them through the screen of her D-Wheel, “How can you say something like that?!? Are you crazy!” She was angry, feeling like Crow is not entirely focused on this duel or doesn’t realise the seriousness of the situation, but just when she saw him trying to say something, probably in his defence, Ghost interrupted him,

“Don’t think you can use the same tactic against me!” ghost was already prepared for Yusei’s trap card, “Trap, activate! Battle Return! This card’s effect will allow a monster that wasn’t able to battle to attack again with its attack power cut in half!”

“Oh, no!!!” Hanako murmured worriedly.

“YUSEI!!!” Jack and Crow shouted with one voice, looking at the outcome of this turn.

“Wisel Attack 3’s effect activates!” Ghost continued with his turn, “If my attack power exceeds your defence power, it will inflict damage equal to the difference!” Ghost attacked Yusei, decreasing his Life Points down to 650 by destroying his monster!

“But my Vehicler’s effect activates!” Yusei refused to give up, “When Vehicler is destroyed by battle, it allows me to Special Summon Uncycler (ATK 100 / DEF 100) from my deck or hand!”

“What good will that run do?” Ghost laughed wickedly, “Trap, activate! Trap Recycle! By sending a card in my hand to the Cemetery, it returns a Trap card, activated and sent to my Cemetery during this turn, to my hand! And I’ll return my Battle Return card!” He placed the card in his deck, while the system shuffled it automatically, “However, the card I return via effect cannot be set during this turn!”

“Aw, damn!” Crow shouted, “If he sets that card, Yusei’ll have no way to prevent it!”

“What are you doing, Yusei?!?” Jack shouted his anger out of his lungs, “Pulverise that fiend immediately! I will not allow for such dismal duelling in my presence!”

“My turn!” Yusei’s face suddenly changed after hearing Jack’s words, but then he saw the card he drew and all that hope that Jack flashed to him was suddenly lost.

Seeing the look on his face made Ghost laugh even louder, “It so appears the card you wanted to come didn’t. The only thing left for all of you with pilfered Synchros is your own downfall!”

“I activated the effect of Speed World 2!” Yusei said, realising how only with his Road Runner (ATK 300 / DEF 300) in his hand, he can’t do much, “By removing 7 speed counters, I can draw another card from my deck!”

Hanako rolled her eyes, “Really?!? You’re betting this duel on the next card you draw?!?”

Yusei looked at his deck after the activation of the Field Spell, “Hanako is right! I’m staking it all on this one draw!” He started doubting his determined soul, “What am I doing?!?” He shouted to himself, feeling like his hope is fading away, when his Birthmark started glowing in crimson red colour.

“What?” Crow’s eyes widened, seeing his Signer mark glowing bright, so he looked at Jack just to see the same thing happening to him, too!

The glow drew Hanako’s attention, so she looked at both Jack and Crow, “Those are…”

“Crimson Dragon’s Birthmarks!” Jack shouted proudly, raising his right hand up, showing his Birthmark.

“I see!” Yusei smiled in relief, “You’re lending me your support!” He murmured to himself, turning his head over his shoulder to see Ghost driving behind him, “Ghost, regardless of what means you use, our evolution will never stop! This symbolises that!” His deck started shining again in bright golden light, just like that one time when he duelled Godwin around half a year ago, “Appear now, Saviour Dragon!” Yusei summoned the monster he drew, before activating his trap card, Synchro Material! “Synchro Material allows me to use the necessary monsters off my opponent’s field when performing a Synchro Summon!”

“WHAT?!?” Ghost cried in defeat.

“Now, return! Stardust Dragon!” Yusei raised his hand, like he was trying to summon his dragon from the palm of his hand.

“You’re going to take back Stardust Dragon?” Ghost hissed, not satisfied with the outcome of Yusei’s turn.

“You bet he will!” Hanako shouted happily, clenching her right fist and pointing it to Ghost.

“You did it, Yusei!!!” Crow smiled, seeing Yusei tuning his monsters just like he did with Godwin and it made Crow’s smile even wider, because he knew Yusei was about to summon his Saviour Star Dragon!

“The shine of clustering stars will illuminate a new miracle!” Yusei started with his summoning chant, “Become the path its light shines upon! Arrive in light, Saviour Star Dragon!”

“Perfect!” Hanako brought her hand back to the handler, “Now Machine Emperor’s attack power, having lost Stardust, will decrease!” She smiled seeing Emperor Wisel’s attack reducing back to 2 900.

“However, even if you try to attack, Wisel Guard 3’s effect will make Wisel Guard 3 take the blow!” Ghost was still persistent, refusing to lose the duel.

“Sorry to disappoint, but Saviour Star Dragon negates an opponent’s monsters’ effects!” Yusei said with a small smirk on his face.

“Negate all you want, but your attack will not defeat me!” Ghost shouted back at him.

“Machine Emperor Wisel is a monster made from five separate cards!” Yusei added, “Now that I’ve negated their effects, I can attack any part I like!”

“Tch, you realized that, didn’t you?” Ghost hissed.

“Well done, Yusei!” Hanako sighed in relief, impatiently waiting for this duel to finally end.

“And I’m going to attack the Machine Emperor’s head!” Yusei launched his attack, “Now go, Saviour Star Dragon!”

Yusei’s mesmerising dragon attacked Ghost’s monster, rushing into its head, cutting it off, as the blow from the attack made a huge explosion followed by a loud noise. The fog spread all over, covering Ghost’s runner, so no one could see what happened, when all of a sudden, they heard loud noises of breaks followed by another huge explosion.

“What?” Yusei turned his head over his shoulder to see what happened behind his back; when Hanako started breaking, making Jack and Crow do the same, so he knew something was up. They ran to the right wall of the duelling lane, just to see how Ghost has flown over the fence into the woods down below, crashing into the tree with his runner burning.

“Damn it all!” Jack was pissed.

“Oh, no!” Hanako covered her mouth with hands, as her whole body started to shiver at the sight from down below, when Yusei came to them, to see what happened.

“Guys, he might be in danger!” Yusei said, seeing the smoke rising into the air.

“Yeah! We have to save him!” Crow shouted, so all of them got down to the woods, to check on Ghost.

Yusei was the first one to approach the Ghost, seeing his runner in a good state, with not much damage, “Hey, are you alright?” He asked, stopping himself from approaching him any farther.

“We’re getting you to the hospital!” Crow said, reaching his hand, trying to check if Ghost is stil conscious, but as soon as he touched his right shoulder to move him, it fell off, making strange electric noises. Ghost’s whole arm fell off, so guys jumped, moving few steps back like they were trying to defend themselves.

“The hell is this?!” Crow’s body shivered in fear and surprise.

“A robot?!?” Hanako raised an eyebrow, seeing all those wires and gears around Ghost’s body.

Jack and Crow shouted in unison to her sentence, “A robot?!?”

Their reaction made Yusei approach Ghost, to study him better, “She’s right, guys!”

“What’s going on here?” Crow asked.

“I don’t know, but maybe Miss Mikage has more information about this”, Hanako murmured, as she approached Yusei, looking carefully at Ghost’s position.

“You’re right! Security must have something they’re working on!” Jack said.

“But first we have to wait for Ushio to recover!” Crow remembered.

“I’m sure Gramps will be just fine!” Hanako smiled, looking at the robot, because she saw Yusei carefully studying the Ghost, “Hey, Yusei…” She murmured, seeing strange wires tore up on the front of the runner, “Maybe we should take the memory chip just in case!”

“Yeah, good idea!” He nodded with a serious look on his face, approaching the runner and taking a chip, placing it into his pocket, so they decided to report this to Security and go back to the garage to see what chip has on it.

*** * ***

One week later, in Poppo Time’s garage, the situated major thoroughfare owned by Zola, everyone gathered around the table with Ushio and Mikage with them. Ushio was looking to the pictures on the table that were taken from the Ghost’s crash, after Crow, Jack, Yusei and Hanako reported what happened.

“This is something that Security currently had under development – the Riding Roid!” The officer explained with a serious tone in his voice, keeping his hands crossed, while looking at the photos on the table.

“Riding roid?” Hanako was interested in it, “Something like a robot Turbo Duellist?!?”

“Yeah!” Ushio confirmed, “It’s a robot to clamp down on D-Wheel crimes!”

“That prototype was stolen about ten days ago!” Mikage added, changing her expression from serious to worried one, “Who would have thought that to be who Ghost really was, though…”

Jack had his hands crossed, “Who in the hell did this?”

Ushio looked at Jack, “No clue! What with the damage from the duel turning real and this prototype robot being stolen from Security, there’s a whole lot we don’t know!” He stopped for a while, turning his eyes to Crow and Yusei, “I sure wish the memory chip made it, though!” His words made Hanako giggle like she was making fun of him, so Ushio got confused, “What’s so funny?!”

Yusei said seriously, “There was no data preserved in the Riding Duel chip!” He took a chip and threw it with his thumb to Ushio, “I’m betting that it was programmed to delete everything once defeated!”

Ushio studied the chip, blinking and looking around, when suddenly it occurred to him, “Hey!” He shouted angrily, “You can’t just go taking evidence!”

“She started it!” Jack pointed to Hanako.

“True that!” Hanako shrugged with a smile, knowing how she and Yusei did their best to help as much as possible, but Ushio wasn’t pleased with that, so Crow decided to speak up.

“Oh, lighten up!” He looked at Ushio with a smirk, what made Yusei smile with satisfaction resting on his face, “You’re more certain with Yusei’s skill than any Security crime lab!”

“Well, yeah, but…” Ushio was still persistent, so Mikage looked at him, shaking her head in disbelief at how reckless he could be at times like these. Thinking about it made her leave a sigh, while Hanako was still giggling like a child.

Rua and Ruka were looking at the photos of the robot, so Rua took the photo and studied it carefully, carrying a huge smile on his face “Man, I wanted to see that robot myself!”

Ruka narrowed her eyes, scolding her brother, with her index finger in the air, “Rua, people got hurt because of this!”

“Sorry…” He murmured in embarrassment, when Hanako approached them, kneeling down to meet Rua’s gaze.

“Don’t worry much about it!” She smiled, “With the help of Yusei’s programming skills, I am sure I could make you a mini prototype just like that one!”

“Really!?!” Rua’s eyes started sparkling, so Hanako nodded, wearing her sincere smile on her face, but then Crow’s words made her focus on the subject,

“Here’s my thing!” He turned to Jack and Yusei, “What would someone use a Synchro Monster-capturing robot for?”

Jack sighed, “I don’t know, but what’s clear is that there’s a new enemy in our midst!”

“That’s right!” Yusei’s look suddenly changed, like a fire was burning in his eyes, “If they are trying to endanger this city, we will continue to fight!” His determined words made Crow and Jack nod in agreement, while Yusei kept his look serious and slightly strict, thinking to himself, _“The damage that was done in that duel was real! Now that the Dark Signers are gone, is a new threat trying to rear its head?!?”_

Hanako looked up at the guys, seeing Yusei’s face, knowing something was not right, “Oh, relax, Yusei!” She approached him, slightly kicking his upper arm with her elbow, “It’s nothing we can’t take care of!”

Yusei saw cute smile on her face that made him calm down a bit, when Crow added, “She’s right, Yusei! We defeated the Dark Signers and I doubt this is more dangerous than that!”

Hanako nodded, turning to Ushio, “Hey, Gramps!” She was still thinking about the Ghost and everything that happened last week, so Ushio looked at her with all his attention pointed to her.

“Yes, Baby?!?”

“Does this prototype have any duelling boards attached inside the front base?” Hanako’s face looked more serious now that she got back to the subject.

Ushio was silent at first, thinking about it, but then it occurred to him, “Yeah, it was incorporated in the system!”

“Yusei…” Hanako immediately turned to him, after she realised what might have happened, “Can a chip really be programmed to erase the data just like that?!?”

“Well… If you have the brains, anything is possible!” He winked to her, but she just shook her head, like it wasn’t what she was expecting to hear.

“But I doubt someone was that smart!”

“What’s your point?” Yusei started being interested in her theory, sensing like she had something on her mind.

Hanako looked at him, before approaching the table, “If this prototype had the duelling board, it means that the chip can only collect data manually, while the board is doing the main function of collecting all the data you need, right?”

“That could be the case, yes!” Yusei nodded.

“But where’s the board?!?” Ushio jumped, feeling like they might have actually have a clue.

“Sorry, Gramps!” Hanako saddened her face, “It was stolen before we reached the prototype!”

“Stolen?!?” Crow’s eyes widened, “How can you be so sure! There was no one in those woods but us!”

Hanako took one of the photos from the table, “These wires were not disconnected, but rather tore from the front desk of the runner”, she handed the photo to Ushio, “Someone took it by force, because he was in a hurry, probably knowing we were on our way!”

Yusei leaned over Ushio’s hand to see the photo, “Yeah, you’re right!”

Hanako nodded with a small smile, turning her look up to Ushio, “Do you still have that prototype in the Sector Security?”

“Why?”

Hanako saw Ushio nodding, so she explained what she had on her mind, “I would like to check it thoroughly, if you don’t mind!”

“You really can’t live a day without duel runners, Baby, can you?” Ushio smiled with his voice teasing her a bit.

Hanako shrugged with a smirk, “Can’t blame me for that!”

“True that!” Crow shouted, “She was born this way!” He started laughing, making Jack and Yusei smile, too, remembering their childhood days and how she was always collecting junk and random gears for no reason. Their laugh made her blush shyly, but then again, she was happy to have all three of them by her side, to accept her and love her just the way she is.

“Alright, guys!” Hanako shouted with a clap, “We still have a lot of work to do, so move on!” Her words made Yusei, Jack and Crow look at her, when she said again, “Runners are not going to build by themselves!” She was pointing her eyes to Yusei, seeing him nod in agreement.

“And I still have a delivery to do!” Crow said, running to his D-Wheel, so Hanako decided to get back to work, turning to Ushio.

“Can you take me to the prototype?”

“Be my guest!” The officer opened his arms with a smile, feeling like she was his last hope, so Hanako grabbed her helmet, exiting the garage with Ushio and Mikage by her side, when she suddenly felt a warm touch on her shoulder.

“I’d like to go with you…”

She turned to her left to see Yusei standing in front of her, so she smiled, “Sure! I’d like to hear your opin-“

“Yusei!” Hanako’s words were cut, when both she and Yusei turned around to see the person calling for his name, seeing Aki, Rua and Ruka standing around the table.

“Yes?” He raised an eyebrow to Aki, who called for him a moment ago, seeing her slightly blushing like she was too shy to speak.

“Well… I just wanted to…” She murmured, hiding her hands behind her back, so the twins looked up to see her crimson red face.

“She wants you to show her how to ride a runner on your engine prototype!” Rua shouted suddenly, wanting to help Aki with her plans.

“Rua!” Aki’s eyes widened even more, so she looked at the little turquoise haired boy, scolding him through a whisper.

Yusei found them so adorable and couldn’t help but smile, seeing his friends before his eyes. He was still holding Hanako’s shoulder, but his facial expression made Hanako realise what was going on in his mind, so she gently moved his hand from her shoulder, “You just go… I’ll take care for the Ghost!” She murmured, trying her best to cover her sadness with a smile. because she knew how much his friends mean to him.

Yusei’s eyes widened at her soft and gentle voice, making his heart skip the beat, “Are you sure, Baby?!”

“Friends come first, Yusei!” She whispered, doing her best to stay calm and collected, even though she was dying on the inside, “I can take care for this myself”, she giggled, “I’m a big tough girl, remember?” She gave him a wink and moved away, just so he won’t see her sad face that she tried to hide from him, but her words made Yusei chuckle, placing his hand behind her neck, feeling grateful to have her in his life.

The warm touch of his hand made her look back at him, with her eyes locked on his, while he was enjoying her gaze, “But make sure to send me a report when you’re done!” He raised his eyebrows, “I want to know what happened!”

Hanako’s body shivered to his touches, feeling his strong arm keeping her close to his face, not giving her a chance to step back and move away from him, so she just nodded while biting her lower lip, “Okay…” She murmured through a whisper, when she suddenly felt Yusei’s soft lips pressed against her forehead, making her close her eyes.

“See you later, then?” She heard him say, opening her eyes, just to see him go away to meet Rua, Ruka and Aki, while Ushio just approached her, placing his hand on her back, escorting her to Mikage’s car.

“Shall we?!?” He smiled warmly to her, making her nod in agreement. She was holding her helmet strongly in her arms, thinking about what just happened, scolding herself for letting Yusei slip through her hands just like that, but there was nothing that could be done anymore. She exited the garage, ready to leave, thinking about the possible outcomes and what really happened with that Ghost, making herself already impatient to tell Yusei everything she was about to find out in Sector Security when she comes back.


	21. Repairing What Cannot Be Fixed

16th Chapter   
  
(following anime episodes 67 and 68)  
  


**Repairing What Cannot Be Fixed**   
  


In the Sector Security building, where Hanako was researching Ghost’s D-Wheel, officer Ushio and Mikage were standing in the upper-level observation deck with a one-way mirror in front of them, so only they could see what was going on inside the white room.

“You think she will be able to figure something out?” Mikage was nervously holding her hands together, trying to hide them behind her back.

“If anyone can figure it out, it’s her!” Ushio said proudly, thinking about how much talent Hanako was holding, when it goes about mechanics; especially runners.

“Where did she learn all that stuff?” Mikage was still a bit confused at how little she knows about this girl, dressed in pale yellow dungarees, and with her hair always in one braid leaned over her shoulder.

“I guess growing up in Satellite had its own advantages!” Ushio smiled while crossing his hands, focusing his eyes onto Hanako and her actions. She took her toolbox with her, carefully investigating the prototype, not to make a huge mess or destroy evidence. Just by looking at her, Ushio started thinking about how he met her and how scared and afraid she was few years ago; always trying to run from danger and trouble, whenever she was caught… How lost and young she was, but it looked like Satellite turned her into an Amazon warrior, fearless and strong; always ready to fight for justice and the rights of the little ones. He remembered little Takuya and other kids she was taking care of, making his heart melt at the thought of it, but soon he snapped out of it, when Hanako looked into the mirror, moving her thumb over her neck, showing them she was done with the research.

She was standing in the pure white room with only prototype and her toolbox, seeing her reflection in the one-way mirror, knowing how Gramps Ushio and Mikage were standing on the other side, because they explained it to her before she started with her work. She sighed powerlessly, knowing how there was not much she could do, as she moved the sweat from her forehead with her forearm, but soon Ushio and Mikage entered the white room.

“Any good new, Baby?” Ushio asked immediately, impatient to found out what she had in store for them.

“I’m sorry, Gramps”, she murmured, bowing her head, “Everything was either erased or stolen!”

“So nothing!?” Mikage said strictly with one eye brow raised, irritated by the disappointment in Hanako’s work.

“I’m sorry, Miss!” She raised her head to meet Mikage’s eyes, because she could feel the strange aura coming from her presence, but she decided to ignore the way Mikage was talking to her, so she just shook her head, “Someone who stole this prototype knew exactly what he was doing!”

“I understand!” Ushio nodded, keeping his face serious, “But thank you anyway!”

“No problem, Gramps!” She winked, as a small smile grew on her face, “But I think I can help you regardless!”

“What do you mean?!” Mikage started being interested in her idea.

“This prototype has been changed an re-programmed”, Hanako started.

“So what?!?” Mikage’s words cut her off.

“Here!” She said with a smile, throwing a small bolt to Ushio.

“What is this?” He was confused, looking at the bolt.

“It has something engraved on it!” She looked at Ushio with a serious look on her face, “And I doubt Sector Security has something like that in their department!” She giggled, thinking about how silly it would be for a public Maintenance Bureau to keep engraving things into the bolts that no one can see or understand.

“You think it’s personalised?” Mikage asked, seeing Ushio being interested in the bolt.

“Like I told you, the person who did this knew how to build a D-Wheel”, she said, pointing her index finger in the air, gesturing Crow’s actions, like she inherited it from him, “And most importantly, that same person is also a Turbo Duellist!”

“How can you know that?” Mikage shivered.

“Because, just by looking into the core of the runner, you can tell a lot about its master!” She smiled.

“And how is this going to help us?” Ushio was still confused, making Mikage sigh in disbelief.

“Find who made this bolt”, Hanako explained, “And maybe it will lead you to the person behind all this mess!” Seeing Ushio nodding to her sentence, she started exiting the room.

“Wait, Baby!” She stopped, looking over her shoulder at the officer, who called for her name.

“Yes?” She turned around to face him.

“Thank you!”

She smiled at his words, bowing her head gently as a sign of understanding and appreciation, before she left the building, starting the engine of her runner, as she drove herself away, back to the garage of Zola’s home.

Entering the garage, she saw Yusei all alone, working on the new engine for the W.R.G.P. Tournament, so she parked her runner, removed her helmet and jumped few times to approach him, leaning towards him, over his shoulder, to see what he was doing.

“Watcha doin’, Yusei?” She giggled, wanting to be a part of his work, but he remained silent, trying to figure out what to do with his engine, so she started looking around the parts, hoping she will be able to understand what was bothering him, “I see you switched from the Inline engine to the V-shaped one!” She smiled happily, knowing he was listening to her advice.

“Yeah, it’s just like you said!” He murmured, still focused on the engine, “It fits the frame better and is much easier to handle…”

“But you do realise they also have their flaws, right?!” She raised her eyebrow, still looking what he’s doing.

“What do you mean?” He stopped with his work, turning his head over his shoulder to see her better.

“V-shaped engines have uneven firing order, so they are less stable at fast turnings”, she started explaining to him, seeing how he switched the vent pipe connection.

“Have any idea how to fix it?” He started being interested in her words.

“Well, one thing’s for sure… If you keep switching the vent like that, you will only make more mess and Zola won’t like it!” She shook her head.

“Any suggestions, Bookworm?” He teased her through a smirk, remembering how she would always think about every single details and possible outcome, before finding a solution to the problem. His eyes met hers, as she just rolled her eyes through a smile, focusing on the engine.

“We can try switching the V-twin you have into a V4 engine type, so that we can balance it better!”

“But I’ve never done that before…”

“Me neither, but it’s worth a try!” She winked, completely forgetting about why she even came back to the garage to see him, “Think about it! If we have uneven firing order, by giving a minus another minus, we can combine a huge plus!” She smiled, but then her face turned sad at the sudden thought of it, “Although… Programming that chip could be a problem…”

“Leave it me!” He smiled, standing up, cleaning his hands with a cloth, when suddenly he remembered how she was with Ushio in the Sector Security building, “Have you checked Ghost's runner?”

“Ah, yeah… I almost forgot about it!” She blushed, looking at his smile, “The board was ripped off, just like I thought!”

“So someone really knew that we were on our way to rescue…”

“Thus, he took the board with him!”

“Interesting...”

“But that's not all!” Hanako said worriedly, recalling what she saw on the police duelling robot, seeing Yusei blink few times in confusion, like he was waiting for her to continue, “Remember that electricity cut when Gramps was involved in an accident?"

Yusei nodded immediately, knowing exactly what she tried to say, “What about it?!?”

“It happened again", She murmured, “Right after you started your duel with Ghost!”

“You think it's connected?”

“Well... I started researching and...” She suddenly stopped, remembering something that dragged her mind from the subject.

“And?!?” Yusei raised an eyebrow, as his body started being impatient, wanting to know more about what she had in her mind.

“Crow and Jack went through the same thing!”

“D-Wheelers?”

“D-Wheels, to be exact!” She said, moving away from Yusei, turning her back to him, as she approached the computer on the table, “That’s why I called Martha's House!”

“Martha?” Her sentence made him even more confused, while his brilliant and intelligent mind tried to figure out what Martha has to do with any of this, but he had no clue what was Hanako talking about.

“Yeah, I talked to Saiga to help me!” She smiled to him, remembering how Saiga really helped her a lot.

“Ah, yeah…” He shrugged with a smirk, “I completely forgot he is living there now!” He approached Hanako, looking at the computer screen, his curiosity growing stronger with every word she said, “I just hope he didn’t disappoint you”, he joked, looking into her beautiful and lovely face, enjoying her eyes that were so focused onto this topic, she didn’t even realise he was so close to her, but then he whispered near her ear, “Surprise me!”

“Oh, I think you're going to love it!” She smiled, not even paying attention to him, as she jumped in place few times tapping the floor with her feet, while giggling to herself. She typed something in the computer, “I borrowed this for my research, I hope you don't mind!”

“Not at all...” He smirked, looking at her stunning smile, as she was so devoted and determined to solve this puzzle about Ghost, like a true heroine from the crime novel. He kept looking at her gorgeous and bright smile and that fire burning in her eyes, as she was enjoying this maybe too much, just like long time ago when she used to come to his Hideout to help him build his first D-Wheel! She used to smile just like today and even become over thrilled by simple and small details that would make her happy; and if it wasn’t for today, he would have never realised how he missed those little thing about her… He felt his heart skip the beat once, but then her overjoyed voice made him snap out of his daydreaming.

“Here!” Hanako pointed a finger on the monitor screen, making Yusei move his head to the computer.

“Impossible!” He murmured, as his eyes widened in surprise.

“If my predictions are right, this is the main cause of the electricity cut!”

“Momentum?!?” Yusei felt his body started to shiver, “But how?!?”

“It looks like only Momentum-related vehicles and machines were affected by the Ghost!”

“But what kind of connection does Ghost have with the Momentum?”

“Does Yliaster ring a bell?!?” She moved her look to the side, meeting Yusei’s eyes, now realising how close they were standing to each other, but he continued with his questions like nothing happened.

“Just who are they?”

“I don't know yet, but I am keeping in touch with Saiga!” She nodded, “If he finds something out, he will call me!”

“Sure! Keep me informed!” Yusei said coldly with the serious look on his face, moving away from the computer, while Hanako’s eyes were carefully tracing his moves.

“You don't have to say it twice!” She smiled, but he was already back on the floor, checking his engine again, like none of this happened, so she started blinking in confusion, not knowing what to do or even what to say to him… He was acting so strange in the past few weeks and it all started after Ghost appeared in the city; or maybe it was Momentum he was worried about?!? “Yusei!” She ran to him with a slice of irritation in her voice, because he was so stubborn, “I told you already… You won't do anything like that; you're just running around in circles. Your engine will be safe, but you will destroy another part of the runner!"

“I don’t have time for making V4 engines, Baby… W.R.G.P. is just around the corner!”

“W.R.G.P. is in a year, Yusei! Not in a month!” She waved with her hands, shouting at him, hoping he will be able to understand how she only has good intensions.

“This is looking good…” He murmured, like he was talking to himself.

“Yusei, please…” She shrugged powerlessly, but then an idea came to her mind, “Oh, I know!” She smiled wickedly, running to the prototype, “I’ll show you how good this is!” She winked to him with a huge smile, sitting on the prototype, “Can you start the engine for me, please?”

“Sure!” Yusei nodded, seeing the output of the engine keeping its stability, but just before he started the test frame power, someone bumped into the garage and Yusei wouldn’t even realise it, if Hanako didn’t raise her head, moving her eyes to the front door curiously, seeing an older man dressed in purple suit with white shirt underneath; it was all perfectly balanced despite the bright colours, but then he had a smoke yellow tie around his neck that was making him look a bit silly.

“Excuse me…” The man murmured, “But is Yusei Fudo living here?”

Hanako blinked few times, trying to bring her mind back to reality, looking at the man’s confused face, realising how he couldn’t see Yusei, because he was hidden on the other side of the runner prototype, kneeling on the floor, so she moved her head to him, looking at his eyes, pointing to him how some stranger is here and is looking for him, but Yusei immediately raised his head, peeking over the test frame, like he perfectly understood Hanako’s look, “Yes, I am!” He said calmly, looking at the man.

“I am told that you will repair anything, correct?"

Yusei and Hanako looked at each other in confusion, their eyes going through a dialogue without even saying a word, so Yusei turned his eyes back to the man that seemed to now have a desperate look on his face, making Yusei want to find out what is the cause of it, “What seems to have broken?”

“You see…” The man started, scratching the back of his neck nervously, “I would say that it’s less ‘broken’ and more ‘out of control and won’t stop’…” He took a break from his explanations, because Hanako started giggling like s child hearing a funny joke, as she covered her lips with right hand, so the man continued, “Well, I think that you can fix it if you just re-tighten the screws a little!”

“Re-tighten the screws?” Yusei looked at Hanako, whose giggling now turned into a soft and sweet laugh, “What kind of machine is it, exactly?”

“Hmmm…” The man grabbed his chin, looking at Yusei, “It’s called a ‘Heitmann’, you see…” He kept murmuring.

“Heitmann?!?” Yusei raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah”, nodded the man, before he started leaving, but then he came back inside, like he forgot something, “Oh, you can also bring that girl of yours! I heard she is a magnificent repairman!"

“I’m a girl!” Hanako hissed through a whisper, clenching her fists, but then the first part of this man’s sentence rushed though her memory, as she started feeling her cheeks burning softly, realising she started blushing at the thought of being Yusei’s girl.

“Sure! Be right there!” Yusei smiled to the man, his words bringing Hanako back to reality, as the man exited the garage, waiting for them outside, so Yusei took this opportunity to discuss this strange inquiry with Hanako, before they set off.

“I think I'm really going to need your help…”

“You got it!” Hanako smiled back, overjoyed by the whole situation, but Yusei wasn’t sharing her happiness and thrill.

“I've never heard about that Heitmann... So I don't know what kind of engine is that!” He said, feeling a bit disappointed in himself, not knowing if he will be able to help this funny old guy.

“Don't get me wrong, but to me it sounds like a human robot, not an engine!”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, and that would be one pretty annoying robot, especially if it needs its mouth to be shut!”

“Or someone just wasn’t creative while naming their new engine”, Yusei assumed, making Hanako giggle at their guesses that led them to nowhere, “We should better go and check it out!”

“Sure”, Hanako stopped giggling, as her face turned into more serious and determined one, “Let’s give that Heitmann–“, her words were cut off by the ringtone of her phone, so she looked at it, seeing Martha’s number rolling over the screen, “It's probably Saiga... I have to answer this, excuse me!” She picked up the phone, “Martha?!?” She asked worriedly, feeling her hands shaking, because she was assuming how Saiga might have more information about Ghost, “I understand...” Yusei heard her words, seeing her nod into the phone, “Be right there!” He kept looking at her, seeing her face saddened, as she turned her sapphire eyes to him with apologetic look on her face, whispering, “Sorry, Yusei… I have to go”, she murmured, “You’ll have to go without me…”

“I understand”, he nodded, “If you find anything out, let me know, OK?”

“I will…” She murmured, hoping how Yusei will be able to understand the situation, while her eyes followed his character, as he left the garage with the older man, disappearing from her sight, so she took that opportunity to pack her things, before she starts her engine and heads to Martha’s House deep within Satellite.

*** * ***

Yusei was lead to the Duel Academia, walking through the hallway, trying to find the room he was sent to, when he heard familiar voices coming from one of the classrooms; someone was shouting, arguing with more than just one person, so he peaked through to see what was going on, but at his own surprise, his eyes met Aki’s character standing in front of an unknown guy that seemed like a professor.

“What’s wrong, Aki?” Yusei stopped on the doorway, looking inside the classroom, holding his toolbox in his left hand. His appearance made all kids from the calls shout and raise their hands in the air, like they were cheering for him.

“You’re…” The professor started, looking at him, “Yusei Fudo, the one who won the Fortune Cup!”

Kids started making louder noises than before few second ago, shouting Yusei’s name and cheering happily, making professor lose his concentration, “What could you possibly need from our Duel Academia?”

“I came on a job!” Yusei said calmly.

“Huh?!?” Professor raised an eyebrow, “A job?”

“I took a request saying that there was something in this classroom someone wanted fixed, you see…” He started, realising how he was now in the classroom he was sent to in the first place.

“Well… I wonder if there was anything that could be fixed in this classroom!” Professor answered back rudely. He reached his hands towards the kids in the classroom, “Fixing even these children’s grades would prove to be impossible!”

Yusei was listening to professor’s rude words, wanting to say something in children’s defence, but then professor Maria jumped into their conversation, “Mr Vice Principal, your words are going too far!”

 _“Vice principal?”_ Yusei thought to himself, looking at that self-centred maniac, when Aki tried to keep professor Maria’s side.

“Don’t you think it foolish to discard the passion to study duelling by making judgements based on grades alone?!?” Yusei listened her every word, feeling so much anger in her voice, knowing how it must have been caused by some unfairness, so he decided to keep on listening their arguments.

“The only fool here is you!” Vice Principal shouted back, waving with his hand, “No matter how much low-level failures study duelling, it is entirely pointless!” But as soon as he touched the subject of low-level failures, Yusei’s heart started racing in anger and furry, while the screen in front of the Vice Principal changed at every motion from his hand, revealing screens with children’s profiles and their ace monsters that were all low-level ones, “For one thing, there are nothing but a bunch of low-level, dreg cards in these children’s decks! These duellists are a low-calibre, so they only use low-level monsters!”

“No, that’s not true!” Yusei was now pissed off by his words, “There’s not one thing in this world that is inessential!”

“Oh, a smart-alec! Outsiders have no business sticking their noses where it does not belong!” Vice Principal shouted at him furiously, “I would appreciate that you leave at once! What in the world did you come to fix, anyway?!?”

“I came to fix something called a ‘Heitmann’!” Yusei answered politely, trying for his cool not to be distracted by Vice Principal’s rude words.

“Huh? ‘Heitmann’?!?” Vice Principal raised his eyebrows, as his eyes widened in shock.

“Right!” Yusei nodded coldly, “They told me that I could fix it if I just re-tighten the screws!”

“Then… Are you talking about me, Rudolph Heitmann?!?” Vice Principal cried out in disbelief, but Yusei wasn’t less chocked than him!

“What?!?” His hand tightened the hold on his toolbox.

“Yusei, help us!” Ruka shouted, standing out from other kids.

“We’re all gonna get expelled!” Rua added with sadness in his eyes.

“All of us are asking you!” Their classmate Patty added, holding her hands, like she was praying.

“Do something, Yusei!” Even their friend Bob shouted in fear, so all of it became clear to Yusei.

“I see!” He smirked, “Now it makes sense! It looks like I’m about to grant your wishes!” He pointed his finger to the Vice Principal, “Heitmann, duel with me! And if I win, you’ll waive these kids’ expulsions!”

“Enough of your sass!” Heitmann shouted back, “I shall teach you that these failures have no business duelling myself! Understood?!?” Vice Principal leaned on the desk, trying to shout to Yusei with his face as close to him as possible, so they all entered the duelling arena, so that Yusei can re-tighten the screws inside Vice Principal’s mind.

*** * ***

It was almost dinner time, when Crow was driving his Blackbird through the city. After seeing the sunset over the sea, he realised how it was already time to call it a day, returning back to the garage. As soon as he entered, he saw Jack and Yusei testing the engine again, so he started being overly hyped and overjoyed about it, running to Jack, to place his eyes onto the prototype.

“Oh, you're testing the engine again?!?”

“Yeah”, Jack said, “Yusei managed to reconstruct the engine, so there will be no explosions this time!”

“I see”, Crow murmured, looking around the garage, shrugging in the process, “I also see how Hanako is not here again!”

“Well, your sight sure is not lying to you”, Jack answered like it was abvious, “She left early in the morning again!”

“Again?!?” Crow shouted with irritation in his voice, while his eyes turned to Yusei, asking for explanation for this, “Yusei!?!”

“Don't look at me, it's not my fault”, he said indifferently, like he already prepared that answer.

“I thought we already went through this!”

“Like I told you, it's not my fault!”

“You still didn't ask her?!?” Crow started being disappointed in his friend.

“I did!”

“Then what is she doing outside again, instead of being here and helping you out?!?”

“She went to Martha's place”, Yusei murmured.

“Oh”, Crow calmed himself down, blinking few times, before it occurred to him, “It better be something important, if she left you all alone here with Jack to test the engine!”

“If you’re really that interested, we can go visit Martha’s House and check it out”, Yusei answered.

“Shouldn’t we check out the engine first?” Jack added, impatiently waiting to see the engine reaction.

“Good point!” Crow smiled, running to Yusei, “Let me see!” He suddenly started acting like he forgot all about Hanako’s absence, as he looked at the monitor screen again, seeing the output going up from 80 to 90 just like last time. Crow’s eyes widened, remembering what happened few days ago when output reached 90, causing the loud explosion and making Zola rush into the garage shouting at them angrily, “Hey, are you sure you’ll be okay?!? We don’t have time for any explosions like the other day!” Recalling the memory made him worry, because he didn’t want it to happen again.

“Hmph! That’s Yusei for you!” Jack shouted proudly, “To think you perfected it this much in just a few days… And without Hanako’s help!”

“Yeah, no need to worry about the engine!” Yusei smirked, knowing what will happen next.

“Engine?!?” Crow raised an eyebrow, turning his eyes to the test frame, to see what will happen, seeing Jack’s worried face.

“About it?” Jack turned his eyes from Yusei to the front of the test frame, adraid to see the outcome of Yusei’s engine changes that were keeping it protected, but what could possibly go wrong then?!? Suddenly, he looked at the cards from the deck holder, as they started jumping out of it, like someone was shooting them with some unexplainable force, making a huge mess around the garage, as smoke started rising from the front part of the prototype followed by the noise that dragged Zola again into the garage

“You’re being too loud!” She shouted, entering inside, “I swear, why is it that ya’ll are never content unless you’re causing a racket?!? Honestly, you can hardly tell if you’re building or breaking something!”

“I’m sorry!” Jack said first.

“Don’t blame Yusei for this!” Crow added, trying to put the blame on himself.

“Yes, out of respect for me, Jack Atlas…”

“I was talking to you two right from the start!” Zola waved with her hands, narrowing her eyes and looking at Jack and Crow furiously.

“Zola, we’re very sorry!” Yusei decided to break their arguing, his words making Zola completely change her mood.

“Oh, you’re okay, Yusei-chan!” She said sweetly, “A real disaster that was, though. You should take a breather every once in a while! You can’t just tinker with your machines all the time, y’know!” She placed hands on her hips, moving her eyes back to Jack and Crow, scolding them again with her words, “Hey, you! Stop dragging Yusei-chan down and try to cooperate with him a little!” She exited the garage, kicking the door and making the rock walls tremble.

“What kind of slanted treatment is that?!?” Jack raised his eyebrow, still sitting on the prototype.

“Well…” Crow curled his hands, placing them around his eyes, imitating the glasses, “I preferred her yelling at us than putting on that creepy-ass, fake smile!”

“Don’t say that!” Yusei chuckled at Crow’s silly facial expression, “Zola is letting us stay here out of the kindness of her heart!”

“Yeah, I suppose”, Crow murmured, looking around, seeing the huge mess they made again., “Anyway, we’d better take care of this…” And as soon as he finished talking, a huge noise started roaming around the garage, as the kids from the Duel Academia rushed in.

“Yusei! Jack!” Rua and Ruka shouted happily, “Crow! Baby!”

“We came to hang out!” Their friend Tenpei added.

“Hey, there!” Yusei said calmly, seeing the kids run down to him, gathering around the prototype.

“Always a pleasure!” Crow added, while he kept a huge smile on his face, seeing so many kids around him, remembering his kids from under the Daedalus Bridge.

“Not you guys again”, Jack murmured, not pleased to see them.

“Whoa, kinda disorganised today, huh?” Ruka asked Yusei, after looking around the garage.

“What happened here?” Rua asked, running to Yusei, to see what he was doing, “Another explosion?”

“Close!” Crow laughed, pointing his finger to the test frame, “This baby seems to be stuck in a bad mood, y’know!”

“Ah, that reminds me!” Ruka said worriedly, keeping her hands together.

“Ruka, what’s wrong?!?” Rua asked, seeing how Ruka was looking around the garage again, like she was trying to find something… or someone!

“Where is Baby!?!” Ruka finally said, making Rua sigh in relief.

“Awww… She had some work to do!” Crow explained, scratching the back of his neck with a nervous smile, trying to hide the fact how he had no idea what was she doing there again.

“She is never here…” Ruka’s face saddened even more.

“Cheer up, Ruka!” Rua approached her, placing his hand on her shoulder, “I’m sure she will be here next time we come! Right, Yusei?!?”

Yusei blinked few times in confusion, trying to realise why Rua asked him about Hanako, but then, after a small hesitation, he answered with a nod, “Y-Yeah!”

“Oh! It’s a D-Wheel!” Boob shouted with a smile, rushing to the prototype, so all other kids ran to him with a huge smile on their faces, as they gathered around the test frame that Jack was sitting on, “Awesome!” Bobs shouted again, clenching his fists.

“It’s a test frame, huh?” Tenpei asked, adjusting his glasses.

“So cool!” Patty added, looking at the prototype.

“Hey!” Jack wasn’t happy about it, so he narrowed his eyes, “Keep your mitts off!”

“Hey, let us ride it! C’mon!” Bob protested.

“Can we?!?” Patty started jumping in place, not even removing her smile for a second.

“Forget it!” Jack shouted back at them, “Of all the impudent things!” He was irritated by the kids’ voices, wanting them to disappear and leave him alone, so that he can continue testing the engine with Yusei, but then Crow jumped in.

“Okay, if you help us pick up these cards, we’ll let you ride it!” He raised one finger in the air, explaining to the kids in his own way, knowing how to deal with their desires.

“Really?!?” Patty, Bob and Tenpei shouted in unison, but it didn’t make Jack happy at all!

“Crow, you can’t just goo saying whatever!”

“Where’s the harm?” Crow placed hands on his hips, smiling at Jack, “Well… Let’s get cracking!” He shouted strictly, like a serious parent that wants to raise his children well, so all of them started happily rushing around the garage, picking the card carefully, wanting to ride the test frame as soon as possible, while their souls started being impatient.

“Yuse, we’ll give you a hand with this!” Ruka shouted after them, as she started picking the cards with her friends, leaving Yusei aside.

“Thank you!” Yusei said with a smile, looking at the screen of the computer, trying to think about possible solutions for the engine, thinking about Hanako’s words and everything she said to him. Maybe she was right; designing another type of the engine might take them a month or two, but if it’s going to work, it was worth a try! He was still caught by the whole situation, slightly feeling desperate, as the weeks started passing by and not having Hanako around until today was just making it all worse, even though he was having a hard time to admit it to himself. He barely asked her for help and now, that she tried to give him her advice, he was acting like it was an impossible task! What is it inside of him that is making him feel that way? Was it a low self esteem or something else? Something that wasn’t involving only him in it…

Sudden beep sound woke Yusei up from his deep thinking, so he turned his head to the direction the sound was coming from, just to see his D-Wheel glowing lightly, as the spark followed the beep sound like they were pulsating in sync. He jumped from the chair, running to his Yusei-GO, turning the screen on, seeing Hanako’s face on it.

“Baby! Any news so far?!?”

“I think it's better if you come and see for yourself!” She said worriedly, making a sharp eye contact with him.

“Be right there!” He nodded, reaching his hand to turn the screen off, but her sudden whisper made him stop.

“Yusei...” He looked at her again, giving her some more time to say what she intended to, “Take Jack and Crow with you!”

“Don't worry; I think they will not like it here without me!” He turned his head over his shoulder to see Jack’s irritated expression, as he was still bothered by the kids running around him, collecting the cards from the ground, “Especially Jack!” He joked, trying to make her laugh, turning his eyes back to her worried face, seeing sudden change of her mood! Even if it was just for a few second, he enjoyed seeing her soft smile, feeling like his heart would jump out of his chest.

“See you here then!” Hanako said; her smile disappearing again, as the screen went completely blank, before Yusei could answer to her, so his words were left out, but he said them anyway!

“See you, Baby!” He murmured, hearing footstep coming closer to him.

“What is it now?!?” Crow’s voice suddenly pierced Yusei’s ears, “I can't go a day without her presence around now, can I?” He joked, wanting to light up the atmosphere around Yusei.

“It's your fault!” Jack said coldly, “You made her be used to you being around her all the time!”

“True...” Crow shook his head, knowing how it was the truth he couldn’t escape from, “But I feel like I’m being replaced here!” He raised an eyebrow at Yusei, knowing how something was going on between him and Hanako… And it was just the matter of time, when it will all be cleared out!

“Anyway, guys! I think we should go!” Yusei said strictly, ignoring Crow’s teasing words, so Jack and Crow nodded, preparing themselves to set off.

“Do you have to?!?” Rua stopped gathering the cards, saddening his face, while his eyes started sparkling and shining, like he was about to cry.

“It's something that can't wait, Rua!” Yusei smiled softly, patting his head.

“I bet Hanako waited already too long for you!” Ruka jumped in with a smile, looking at Yusei, trying to make Rua feel better.

“What do you mean?” Yusei asked in confusion, while her words made Crow laugh, feeling relieved how he wasn’t the only one, who was teasing Yusei for the same thing!

“Oh, c'mon Mr Romeo, don't you teach kids dirty stuff!” Crow shouted, wrapping his hand around Yusei’s neck, pulling him away from Ruka and other kids, while he moved his back over his shoulder, catching their glimpse, “All right, kiddos! Off to your houses, so you won't make your parents angry! We have some serious business to do!” He started approaching them, waving with his hands.

“But we wanted to ride this D-Wheel!” Tenpei protested.

“You will tomorrow, when Baby comes back home… Now off you go!!!” Crow said, escorting the kids out of the garage, “And don't listen to Yusei! He's a terrible example of how to treat a lady!”

Yusei was looking at him in confusion, feeling like he was missing something out; not being able to get a clue of what he was talking about, so he just kept blinking, before Jack approached him, “C'mon, Yusei! I smell something fishy going on! And I hate fish!”

Jack’s words made Crow laugh hard at the joke, shutting the door of the garage, so that they can be alone, “Let's go guys. We don't want to let our ladies wait, do we?!?” He winked, looking at Yusei, still hoping how he will get a clue, but he just nodded in agreement, putting his helmet on, as all three of them headed to Martha’s House!

As they were driving around Satellite, Crow couldn’t get enough of the beautiful sight of the rebuilt city, finding it so hard to recognise their surroundings!

“Man, this place looks really turned around!”

“Yeah!” Yusei smiled, feeling the wind rushing to his face, “It’s not even Satellite anymore!”

“The resources of the people who have lived in this city are rebuilding the city!” Jack added, wanting to be the part of their conversation.

“Yeah!” Yusei agreed, looking before him, seeing Martha’s House completely reconstructed and fully fixed and as they were approaching it, it was just becoming more and more unbelievable how the whole place changed in six months only.

“No wonder Hanako loves coming here so much!” Jack said, parking his runner in front of Martha’s House.

“She used to love it before, you just never paid attention!” Crow said, as his loud voice drew the attention of his kids from Daedalus Bridge, who rushed from the House, gathering around him!

“Big Bro, Crow!” They all shouted in unison, while keeping bright smiles on their faces.

“Long time no see!” Little Kokoro said, so both her friends Taiga and Ginga nodded.

“Yusei and Jack are with him!” Taiga immediately recognised Crow’s companions, remembering how Yusei visited them once under the Daedalus Bridge.

“Good to see you, guys!” Suddenly, Saiga came out of the House with Martha by his side.

“You’re really living here, huh?” Yusei smiled, after he removed his helmet.

“I feel home here, so I got nice and settled in!” Saiga said, seeing Crow move away from his runner, approaching the kids and leaning towards them.

“You kids been good?”

“Of course we have!” Taiga said proudly, “Coz we’re studying every day!”

Crow placed hands on his hips, “You ain’t causing Martha any trouble, are you?”

“These young’uns are much better behaved than you as a child!” Martha chuckled, making Crow scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Yowch!”

His reaction made everyone laugh like in old days, but then Jack stopped them by asking Martha curiously, “Martha, is Baby still here?”

“Yeah, she’s inside, preparing dinner for you three!”

“Same old Hanako, huh?” Crow smirked.

“She’s been coming here every day, teaching the kids and helping me in the kitchen!”

“And I ain’t complaining either, so…” Saiga laughed, pointing to the House behind his back with his thumb.

“She told me you’re keeping in touch!” Yusei moved his head to Saiga, seeing him nod in agreement.

“Yeah, that’s why I asked her to call you here!”

“Alright now!” Martha smiled, but her voice was slightly strict, just like every time she would have to point her children something out, “If that’s the case, we shouldn’t stand and chat, so come on in!” She showed them inside, so everyone entered the House, following Martha.

“Awww, smells wonderful!” Jack shouted in awe, feeling wonderful salty scent tickling his nostrils, as a huge smile grew on his proud face, when Hanako ran out of the kitchen in red chequered apron, with a dish cloth in her hands.

“Wow, guys, you’re fast!” She giggled, clearing her hands.

“If we knew you’d be cooking, we’d probably be even faster”, Jack added, making Hanako blush at the sweet praise from his side, but she knew they were short on time, so she wanted to get straight to the business.

“You go with Saiga, I’ll come as soon as I finish!”

“That won’t be necessary!” Martha said warmly, approaching Hanako and taking the dish cloth from her hands, “Now, gimme that apron, I’ll finish the dinner!”

“Are you sure?” Hanako looked at her, still not sure if she should do as Martha said.

“Don’t worry! They came because of you!” Martha smiled widely, “We don’t want the guys waiting for you, do we?”

“Thank you, Martha!” Hanako jumped happily, removing her apron and handing it to Martha, while Saiga enjoyed seeing her childish smile.

“Shall we?” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for Hanako to get ready, so she looked back at him with a nod, as Jack, Crow and Yusei followed them to another room, where Saiga was living in. He sat on his laptop, turning it on and showing them a satellite view of Neo Domino City, “I thought I’d let you guys know about this!” He started typing something in, as the small photographs started popping out, covering the satellite view of the city, “You know that a meteor crashed on the outskirt of the city, I take it?” His eyes were locked onto the screen, while Jack, Crow, Hanako and Yusei gathered around him, standing behind his back and looking at the screen over Saiga’s shoulders.

“Yeah!” Yusei nodded.

“They made the place around there off-limits!” Crow said, seeing the photographs on the screen that Saiga was showing them.

“I’ve heard some strange rumours”, Saiga started again with his theory.

“What strange rumours?” Jack asked.

“It seems what came crashing down wasn’t a meteor, but a stone tablet of some kind!”

“Yep!” Hanako agreed, looking at the huge crater left in the ground like a meteor crashed into it, “And it appears that Public Security Maintenance Bureau covertly recovered it!”

“Tablet?” Yusei looked to his right, where Hanako was standing, “Come to think of it, Ghost showed up around then!” He met her gaze, as she immediately turned to him, probably thinking the same thing as he! That worried gem-like glow in her dark sapphire eyes assured him how he was right, so he turned back to Saiga, “Think it’s connected?”

“I couldn’t tell you at this point. But I can’t help but feel there’s something starting to lurk in the shadows”, he murmured, not pleased by what he found out.

“Ghost”, Yusei said, thinking about everything that happened ever since they realised a new threat was roaming around the city, “He had the power to seal Synchro Monsters!”

“You guys better keep on your guard, regardless!” Hanako murmured worriedly, hoping how they will have more information very soon.

“Couldn’t agree more!” Saiga said, trying to assure Jack, Crow and Yusei how Hanako had a point there!

“Right!” All three of them nodded, making Hanako sigh in relief, thinking about how the ground below their peaceful lives started shaking and she was just starting to enjoy the beauty of being a legal citizen in Neo Domino City, as the whole thought about it made her slightly desperate, but then Crow’s stomach started rumbling, so everyone turned their eyes to him.

“I think it’s dinner time, guys!” Hanako giggled again, forgetting the fresh news that made her worry, seeing Crow’s blushing face.

“Let’s go! I’m starving!” Saiga agreed, moving away from the computer, “We can talk about this later!”

“Couldn’t agree more!” Hanako said, mimicking Saiga’s voice and his words, teasing his characteristics like a deviant child. Her gestures making everyone laugh even more, before they all went downstairs to the dining room, where Martha already started serving dinner to the kids.


	22. We Named Her Baby

17th Chapter

(following anime episodes 69 and 70)

**We Named Her Baby**

It was more quite than usual in Zola’s house. Down in the garage, both Crow and Jack were absent, while Yusei was working hard on adapting his frame to the new engine design that Hanako proposed. He was so concentrated to his work, he hardly realised she was there with him, sitting on the floor just few inches away, trying to reassemble the parts of the engine, so that she can turn it into a V4 instead of V-Twin. They were both present, yet absent: without chatting or talking, both silent and focused on their task; but silence soon disappeared when Yusei’s voice reached Hanako’s ears.

“You really think we can make that V4 in six months?”

“No”, Hanako murmured, turning her eyes to him, keeping her poker face on, but then his reaction of disappointment made her smile, as she continued, “We can make it in 3 months!” And instead of getting back his smile, Hanako’s face saddened, when Yusei just moved his look away, focusing on the W.R.G.P. poster, as he let a sigh and moved the sweat from his forehead with his forearm! Seeing him like that, she tried to say something to make him feel better, but just when she opened her mouth, someone rushed into the garage.

“Hello!” Sweet child’s voice suddenly filled in the garage, so Hanako looked up to see who was it, as the kid continued to explain his visit, “I came to pick up Dupont-san’s computer!”

“Marco?” Hanako whispered through a smile, when her words made Yusei look up to see Marco’s presence.

“You’re helping Dupont-san today, Marco?” Yusei started, “Working hard, I see!”

“Yup, I am!” Marco smiled widely, looking like he was proud of himself.

His posture made Hanako giggle, but at the same time, it made her heart feel so sad, how he was so young and yet destined to work so hard, just because of his financial situation, “Delivering packages again?”

“Yeah, Baby!” Marco shouted with joy, “‘Cause I have a sick mom and brother at home, so I have to buckle down, work and make money”, he explained, making Hanako remember her kids from under the Daedalus Bridge and how they were all so talented and workaholic, but none of them ever had a chance to prove their worth because Satellite was quarantine for people like them.

Yusei looked at Hanako’s facial expression, knowing exactly what was on her mind, so he tried to get to the point as soon as possible, “You were able to fix it, right?” He raised one eyebrow at Hanako, as she was the last one working on Dupont’s computer.

“Sure”, Hanako snapped out of her thoughts, “I left it in the back!” She pointed to the back left of the garage, “It’s covered with the dark red sheet!”

Yusei nodded, before he looked at Marco, “Just give me a second!” He said, moving to the back of the garage.

Marco watched Yusei leave, so he turned his head back to the prototype frame, smiling widely, “Is that a D-Wheel, Baby?”

“It’s just a test frame”, she said, “We are trying to develop a new engine for our runners”.

“I see… When I grow up, I want to become a Turbo Duellist, too!” Marco’s face suddenly showed a huge smile, distracting Hanako’s mind from her work and negative thoughts.

“I’m sure you will!” Hanako managed to smile softly, “Working so hard, you will grow up very strong!”

As Marco nodded to her statement, Yusei came back, holding the box with computer in it, taking it outside and looking at Marco, “Come with me!”

“See ya later, Baby!” Marco just shouted happily and ran outside the garage to catch Yusei’s steps, while Hanako just nodded with a smile, getting back to work.

“Thanks a lot, Yusei!” Marco smiled, as he watched Yusei place the computer on Marco’s wooden cart. As he made sure everything is on its place, Yusei buckled it up with some plastic wires and clapped his hands few times to remove dust from them.

“You should thank Hanako… She did it!” Yusei nodded.

“She is such an amazing girl!” Marco smiled, looking at Yusei so naively and innocently, not even realising how Yusei’s facial expression suddenly changed. Marco was not even getting a clue how his words made Yusei think more about Hanako… She was occupying his mind in the past few months a lot and he had no idea what was happening with him…

But looking at Marco’s confused look, he just shook his head and smiled back at him, “See you later, Marco!”

“See ya!”

Yusei returned back to the garage, after Marco waved him goodbye, as he closed the door, seeing Hanako looking up at him with saddened face, “Is something wrong, Baby?”

“I am just wondering what makes him keep working so hard”, she murmured, turning back to her work.

“Well… You heard him, his mother is very sick…” Yusei tried to explain, but it didn’t look like Hanako was pleased with that, “You think there is something more behind it?”

“I doubt medications are that expensive if they have insurance… Plus, we live in Neo Domino now; don’t you think there should be a better way to earn money for food?” She was murmuring, like she was talking to herself, while she kept her mind focused on the engine rather than keeping an eye contact with Yusei.

“Well… When you put it that way…” Yusei started, but his words were soon shut down by Crow appearance, as he got down the stairs with unpleased expression on his face.

“Something bothering you, too?” Yusei asked, moving his attention from Hanako to Crow.

“We’re in the red again…” Crow shouted angrily, as his words made Hanako stop everything she was doing.

“Again?!?” She shouted, “How’s that possible?!?” Hanako jumped up, running to Crow, to grab the papers from him.

“Geez, it’s great that Satellite got connected with the city, but I never figured the prices of things would go up like this!” Crow was explaining, not pleased with their current situation, while Hanako was going through the papers and checking their financial income and outcome.

“Welcome to reality, Crow!” She giggled, rolling her eyes playfully, seeing him sadden his face, looking at the W.R.G.P. poster.

“Will we ever be able to enter the Riding Duel World Grand Prix?”

“Don’t be silly!” Hanako smiled, “Why are we working so hard, if nothing will come out of it?!?”

“She’s right, Crow!” Yusei nodded, “We just have to do it step-by-step!”

Hanako smiled to Yusei’s statement, turning her eyes back to the papers, going over and over the numbers Crow was keeping the track of, but then she looked at their financial statistics that made her facial expression drastically changed, “OK! Who’s spending 3,000 Yen every single day?!?”

“3,000 Yen?!?” Yusei raised his eyebrow at Hanako, not knowing what was going on.

“Crow, I can’t earn this much money!” Hanako sighed heavily, as she folded papers and pushed them hard against Crow’s chest, looking at Yusei worriedly, not knowing what to do now or even what to say, feeling like whole their work has been thrown away into the wind!

“Jack…” Crow hissed angrily, “So, where is he?!” He looked at Yusei, like he knew where Jack went, as Crow’s rage was getting stronger and stronger, “He better be looking for work!”

Yusei looked at him, as his smile faded away, “Nope, he’s at his usual place!” He shrugged.

“Usual place?” Crow stopped for a while, before it occurred to him, as he saw Hanako moving her thumb over her shoulder, pointing to the café across the street to gesture to Crow what Yusei meant by that, “That jerk!” He shouted angrily, rushing through the garage door, running across the street, shouting Jack’s name!

Hanako started running after Crow, approaching the door to close them behind Crow, but before she did so, she looked at Jack sitting outside the café, drinking his coffee in peace, with a smile on his face, when Crow ran to him, shouting his name angrily once again, “Jack!” Hanako’s face turned worried with a slice of sadness on it, as she started thinking about the W.R.G.P. and that engine they still have to develop, but if Jack keeps doing this every morning, 10 months won’t be enough for the new engine to be constructed!

“Hey, Baby!” Hanako snapped out of her thoughts, when she heard Yusei’s voice, “Is everything all right?”

“Yeah”, she murmured, refusing to close the door, “It looks like Jack has no idea how hard it is to earn so much money for that single cup of coffee he likes so much…” She moved her eyes to Yusei, hoping to get a reaction from him, but he just smiled at her and moved back to his work, focusing again on his engine frame without saying a word. His reaction made her sigh with disappointment, as she finally shut the door, “Well… I just hope Crow will be able to make Jack change his mind…”

*** * ***

Later that night, Crow was keeping the track of their financial situation down in the garage, while Hanako was still working on the engine.

Hanako was feeling nervous, because she had no idea what were Crow and Jack talking about this morning and ever since Jack hasn’t come back home, “Hey, Crow!” She murmured, suddenly stopping with her work.

“Oh, Baby, I almost forgot you were here!” He smiled, turning his chair around to meet Hanako’s gaze. She seemed a bit down, so Crow started being interested in the reason of her statement, “Is something bothering you, Baby?”

“I am just thinking about Jack… And all…” She whispered to herself, like she didn’t want Crow to hear her.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine!” Crow smiled.

“You didn’t have a fight this morning, did you?”

“Oh, no! It’s just our usual communication, you know!” Crow winked at her, wanting to make sure she stops worrying about silly things like that.

“OK”, she just murmured again and moved her look away, which made Crow wonder if there is something else bothering her.

“And what about Yusei?”

“What about him?”

“He’s not here!” Crow said like what he was thinking about was obvious.

“He went outside few hours ago”, Hanako answered indifferently.

“What? He’s meeting with Aki again?” Crow intentionally mentioned Aki just to see Hanako’s reaction, but she seemed to be out of the moment.

“Aki?” Hanako asked in confusion, “I almost forgot about her existence”, she added, remembering how she hasn’t heard from her ever since the Dark Signers were defeated.

“Yeah, well… She’s meeting with Yusei almost every day!” Crow started, “I think he’s helping her with her studying!”

“With physics?” Hanako murmured.

“I think so, yes!”

“Then it looks like she’s coming only when I am not around”, Hanako said coldly.

“Like that is hard to do!” Crow joked, as he started laughing like s child, making Hanako turn her eyes to him with a sharp look.

“Very funny, Crow!” She scolded him with her cold voice, not even trying to raise it, “Sorry to burst your bubble, but he’s out for business reasons this time!”

“Business reasons?” Crow raised his eyebrows.

“He went to the store for some parts for the engine”, Hanako explained.

“Oh, I see… And why are you not with him?”

“Why should I be with him?”

“Because it’s fixing stuff!”

“He’s working so hard on this engine, he barely eats and sleeps, so I thought he could use a short break, while I do all the work instead”, she explained.

“Is that so?” Crow was looking at Hanako, walking around her runner, like he was trying to get more of her attention, knowing his walking around will make her go crazy.

Hanako’s eyes were trying hard to concentrate on her engine with Crow walking around like that, so she lost her nerves, “WHAT?!?” She shouted with irritation in her voice.

“Nothing…” Crow murmured with a huge smile of satisfaction on his face, knowing how he was getting that reaction from her that he wanted, but she suddenly stopped talking and the silence took over the garage again, so he decided to do something about it, “You know, you could have joined Aki, Rua and Ruka on the Academy now as a legal citizen!”

“But I don’t want to”, it took some time to reply, but Hanako finally managed to say it to Crow.

“How so?”

“I already know everything I need to know”, she said, “And you know I am not into duelling so much… I have no intention becoming the great duellist!”

“But you build D-Wheels?”

“And I love to ride them, yes. But how’s that related to duelling in any way?” Hanako left her engine and looked up to meet Crow’s gaze.

“Turbo Duelling?!?”

“OK, Crow!” Hanako rolled her eyes, knowing how there was something more he wanted to get from her than just a plain conversation, “Get straight to the point!”

“Well… I was just thinking about… Maybe you should find someone with similar interests, so you won’t have to do it all alone”; he smirked, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

“Crow, I’d rather spend the rest of my life alone than living it side by side with the person I don’t love with all my heart!”

“But Pearson is dead, Baby! You should move on!”

“I can’t, Crow… I don’t know how…”

“Well, you can start with trying to give a chance to someone else?”

“Pearson was unique and you know that!” Hanako shook her head with her face sad, like she was about to cry, “No one can replace him!”

“I never said you should replace him… Just find someone who makes you feel the same way or even better!”

“But I’ve never found anyone like that!” Hanako got fed up of their conversation, so she tried to get back to work, but then Crow’s reaction made her stop and focus only onto him.

“Oh, you haven’t?!?” Crow raised his eyebrow, crossing his hands, as he started tapping the floor with one foot.

Hanako looked at him with unpleased facial expression, knowing where this conversation was going, so she just continued her work, not wanting to talk about it, but he refused to give up on that.

“Now when I think about it… You and Yusei have so much in common!”

“Yeah, we do!” Hanako smiled innocently, not getting Crow’s point, “We both love engines, runners, mechanics… We understand each other without saying a word and…” She got so much into her explaining, while Crow was just giggling like a child to her sweet reaction after he mentioned Yusei’s name. His giggling made Hanako look at him all confused, so she stopped for a while with her work, “What?!?”

“You did get pretty close with each other in the past six months or so”, Crow winked at her, making her realise what was on his mind whole this time, so her face became crimson read, as she felt like her cheeks were burning.

“That’s because of…” She tried to explain, but seeing Crow’s teasing face made her shake her head, realising what was the real intention behind his words, “Don’t you even think about it!”

“You have no idea how cute you look when you blush like that!” Crow laughed, teasing her even more, like they were kids in the orphanage again.

“Crow, stop!” Hanako covered her face with her hands, feeling embarrassed by the thought of seeing Yusei in other ways than just a friend.

“Why don’t you talk to him about it?” Crow approached Hanako, wanting to move her hands away from her beautiful face, but then someone interrupted them.

“Talk to me about what?” Yusei entered the garage, holding a bag with supplies for the engine. His voice made Hanako immediately move her hands away from her face, as she looked up to see Yusei’s character standing on the entrance.

“Nothing!” She shouted shyly, not wanting to think about it anymore.

“Is there something wrong, Baby?” Yusei asked, approaching her, slightly worried about her.

But Crow knew how Yusei won’t give up on her know, unless he finds out what was the reason behind her feelings, so he decided to jump in, “It’s Jack!” He shouted quickly, just to move this conversation away from the main point.

“Jack?!?” Yusei was confused.

“Yeah!” Crow started, “You see… He went out this morning and…”

Yusei looked around, “He’s not back again?”

“Seems so!” Crow said, feeling proud of himself, how he made Jack find a job and actually work to earn some money just like everyone else, “That’ll fix his wagon!”

Hanako knew Crow was trying to help her distract Yusei from their previous conversation, so she just played along, “He hasn’t come back home whole day”, she whispered worriedly.

“Just leave ‘im! That will teach him a lesson or two!”

“And what if something happened to him?!? You can’t always think like that, Crow!” Hanako wasn’t happy with his answer, “Besides, it’s already too late to be wandering around or even working somewhere!”

Crow’s smile faded away, “Well… I guess I have no choice!” He started going outside, so Yusei decided to go with him, but after Hanako just stayed in the garage, Crow stopped and looked over his shoulder, “Not coming with us, Baby!?

“I’ll wait here and make you a dinner, so don’t be late”, she just smiled softly, seeing both Crow and Yusei nod in agreement, as they went outside to look for Jack, leaving her all alone in the garage, so she decided to get straight to preparing the dinner, hoping they will come home soon.

*** * ***

The time Hanako spent alone in the garage passed quicker than she expected it, as she was preparing the table for Jack, Crow and Yusei, not expecting guests tonight. She was so nervous to see them again, thinking about her conversation with Crow and thinking about how she got so close to Yusei, not even realising when it all started. She felt her hands shaking, as she was having a hard time focusing onto her work, so she just prepared everything for the dinner and decided to stop with her work for tonight.

“Hey, Baby, we’re back!” She suddenly heard Crow’s voice, so she ran down the stairs, to meet them in the garage, eagerly waiting to see Jack safe and sound.

“Jack!” Hanako smiled widely, seeing Jack coming inside followed by Crow and Yusei, but they were not alone, there was Marco with them and Carly accompanied him inside, making Hanako slightly confused, “Marco?!?” She looked at the kid waiting for an explanation.

“Sorry it took us so long, Baby!” Crow smiled, winking at her.

“What happened, guys?” Hanako ran to them, “Marco, are you alright?!?” She knelt down before the kid, placing both her hands onto his shoulder, seeing his embarrassed face, like he was hiding something.

“Well, Baby, looks like you were right about that debt Marco had!” Yusei smiled softly, looking at her.

“Debt?” Hanako raised an eyebrow, looking at Yusei then turning her look back to Marco, “So it wasn’t just for your family?”

“Nope!” Crow shouted, “It looks like some Garome guy made people to sign false documents, like some kind of contract and then he was taking money from them!”

“That jerk!” Hanako shouted angrily, jumping up and approaching the door, “Where is this guy, I’ll kick his ass!” She was angrily hissing, waving with her hands around, but then Crow stopped her, grabbing her dungarees and moving her back inside the garage.

“Chill, Baby!” Crow said calmly, looking at Jack, “Jack already solved this!” His words made Hanako turn her eyes to Jack, seeing him ripping off some papers and talking to Marco.

“Now you won’t have to pay any more unfair loans!”

“Thank you, Jack!” Marco bowed his head with appreciation, as Jack took a deck from his pocket, handing it to Marco.

“You can have this back!”

“But even if I kept it…”

“It’s true that the society’s winds can be cold, but you can never lose your dreams!” Jack interrupted Marco’s words, “Never give up and your dreams will come true! Just like your Smile Angel defeated Garome!”

Marco was looking at Jack speechlessly, not knowing what to say, “Jack…”

“I’ll be waiting the day you’re able to Riding Duel!” Jack said proudly, seeing Marco nod in agreement.

“Well… He sure is going to become strong duellist one day, so you better watch out, Jack!” Hanako giggled, seeing Jack so mature and responsible, not believing he was able to changed so much overnight.

“You figure maybe now he can change his disposition?” Crow smiled, like he read Hanako’s mind.

“I think so!” Yusei smiled, as all three of them started laughing, as all of them started enjoying their time together, remembering their early days when they were kids…

*** * ***

Next morning, Jack decided to go to the café across the street to look for another job, just to help his friends to earn some money for the W.R.G.P., while Crow and Yusei were peeking through the garage door, watching what was going on.

“Guys, what are you doing?!?” Hanako approached them, moving her head underneath Crow’s arm just to see what was going on.

“We are cheering on Jack’s new job opportunity!” Crow joked, keeping his eyes onto the café, when suddenly someone started shouting angrily.

“You’re fired!”

Hanako’s body started to shiver, as she saw Jack coming out of the café with his nose up high, “You don’t have to tell me: I’m quitting this lousy café!”

“Well… Looks like he really tried hard!” Hanako giggled, seeing Jack’s proud face, as he started approaching the garage.

“These commoners truly don’t know my worth!”

“I guess people can’t change that easily, huh?” Crow just murmured, looking down at Hanako, not really pleased with the outcome of this Jack-trying-to-find-a-job thing.

“We should get back to work”, Yusei just added through a sigh, moving back inside, so Hanako and Crow did the same.

“Speaking of work, I still have a delivery to do today!” Crow shouted, as he sat onto the chair backwards, spreading his legs before the armchair, placing his hands onto it for support.

“You should at least eat something for breakfast before you go!” Hanako said, seeing Yusei ignoring them already, as he moved to the test frame, to develop the engine as soon as possible.

“Sure!” Crow smiled happily, but then his face saddened, as he remembered they had nothing to eat for breakfast, “But what?!?” He turned his eyes to Hanako, seeing her wide smile nurturing his soul.

“Stay right here, I’ll be right back!” She shouted happily, running to the kitchen, leaving him alone with Yusei.

“Well… She sure is full of energy today!” Crow smirked, moving his eyes to Yusei, remembering how there was something he wanted to talk to him about, “Hey, Yusei!” But he didn’t react, but rather stayed in the same position, focusing onto his engine, making Crow continue with his sentence regardless, “Have you heard about that Spirited Away Forest?”

“Spirited Away?” Yusei stopped with his work, as Crow’s words gained all of his attention.

“Yeah, that’s the rumour that’s been going around as of late. They say a lot of people have gone missing in the forest!” He smirked, because he saw Hanako coming down with some sandwiched for breakfast.

“Don’t tell me you believe in those stories, Crow!” She approached him, handing him the plate with sandwiches, as she rolled her eyes playfully.

“Well, the kids in the neighbourhood said that some monster is behind it, or something like that!”

“Kids say silly stuff because of their imagination, you should know that!” Hanako was persistent, while Yusei kept listening to their conversation, seeing Hanako placed the plate with one more sandwich next to him without saying a word, while Crow already took the final piece of his and gulped.

“Could it have anything to do with the Ghost Incident?” Yusei finally spoke.

“I think you’re over-thinking things! Kids love stories and urban legends, after all!”

“Took you long enough to say it out loud!” Hanako shook her head, before sitting onto the floor, as she got back to her work with the engine.

Seeing them both working hard this early in the morning, Crow realised it was his turn now, “On that note, it’s off to work for me!” He jumped onto his runner and rode away to get his deliveries for today.

“Well… He sure is all fired up about that job, huh?” Yusei joked, repeating Crow’s words from few moments ago, not even realising what he has done unintentionally.

“It brings us money to keep doing this, so I am not surprised his spirit is this pumped up”, Hanako smiled warmly.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…”

Hanako just looked at Yusei with a soft smile, moving back to the work, as the silence took over again, making Yusei move to his work, too. Both of them started working on the engine again, not even keeping the track of the time, but then Hanako realised the sun is almost setting down, so she looked through the window, enjoying the silence and the beautiful view, turning her head to Yusei, seeing his devotion to work that brought a small smile to her face again, but then she realised that sandwich was still on the plate, knowing how he hasn’t eaten anything since the early morning, so she started to worry about him.

“Maybe I should go and make something for…” She started murmuring, but then someone bumped into the garage again.

“YUSEI!” Child’s voice started echoing through the garage, making both Hanako and Yusei move their eyes to the front door, seeing Rua and Ruka’s friend Tenpei rush into the garage, “Yusei!”

“What’s wrong, Tenpei? You look pale!” Yusei asked immediately.

“Ruka got lost in the forest!” Tenpei shouted worriedly, trying to catch his breath, as he pointed outside the garage.

“What?!?” Yusei and Hanako shouted in unison.

“And Rua went in there saying he’d look for Ruka!”

“Forest?” Hanako’s body started to shiver, “Could it be…”

“The Spirited Away Forest?” Yusei added.

“Uh-huh!” Tenpei’s nod turned Yusei’s face pale, as his look was now dead worried.

“What were you even doing in that forest?!?” Hanako asked worriedly, wanting to know more about what happened, before they act.

“…exploring?” Tenpei murmured shyly, not knowing how to say the truth to Hanako, who shook her head in disbelief, placing both her hands on the hips, as she looked at Yusei, who moved his look away, seeing outside, thinking about the Forest and how sunset was already hiding away from the horizon.

“Yusei”, Hanako murmured, “We have to do something!”

“You stay here with Tenpei, OK?” Yusei said, as he took his helmet and started approaching his runner, “I’ll go find the Twins!”

“Well, sound like a plan!” Hanako sighed, not believing Yusei didn’t ask her to come with him.

“Will you be OK here all alone?” Yusei stopped for a moment, as he looked at her once again, before he took off.

“Sure, I’m not a little girl anymore, Yusei!” She smiled, “Besides, I know how to take care for a child!” She looked at Tenpei, who was pale and scared.

Yusei nodded, “I’ll be back in no time!”

“Yusei”, Hanako reached for his wrist, so he stopped and turned back to her and just when Hanako realised what she’s done and how they were in a physical contact, she moved away embarrassed a bit, bowing her head.

“What’s wrong, Baby?” He smiled not wanting to make her worry.

“Just be careful, OK?” She hid her hands behind her back not looking him into the eyes, as he just smiled and jumped onto his runner.

“Here!” He shouted to her, making her look up to his direction, before he left and just when her eyes met his character, she saw that he threw something at her, so she managed to catch it just in time.

“What is this?” She looked at him in confusion, opening her hands to see what was inside.

“Find a place where it fits until I get back”, he smiled again and left the garage, so Hanako stayed with Tenpei alone.

“What is it, Baby?” Tenpei was curiously looking at Hanako’s hands.

“I have no idea what he meant by that…” She was confused, looking at the bolt inside her hands. It looked like it was the same bolt she found in the Riding Roid from that Ghost was riding just few days ago, “I wonder where he found this!” She murmured, knowing how she had even more work now than before… As she promised to herself how she will do more work today, just so that Yusei doesn’t have to do all the work by himself.

“Do you need help with something?” Tenpei smiled, looking at Hanako, so she tried to think of something before Crow and Jack show up, since it was already dinner time.

“Ahmmm… I think I’m going to need some ramen noodles!” She giggled, looking at Tenpei with a smile, “Do you think you can go to the store and buy a few for me?”

Tenpei smiled, nodded his head and ran to Hanako, as she gave him some money to buy the noodles, “You can also buy yourself a treat, there should be some cash extra!”

“Sure, thank you!” Tenpei shouted happily, so Hanako smiled at him.

“Just be careful and take for yourself, OK? Yusei should be coming back soon, so don’t be late!”

“Got it, Baby!” Tenpei shouted back to her, as he disappeared from her sight and left outside to go to the store, before it closes.

Hanako waited for Tenpei to go away, before her thoughts immediately turned to Yusei, thinking about the Spirited Away Forest and whether those rumours were true or not, but then she remembered how she promised to herself how she will work hard today, just so that Yusei can be proud of her when he gets back with the Twins! She was so into the work that she had no idea how time passed by so quickly.

*** * ***

In the meantime, Tenpei was coming back from the store, when he heard the loud sound of a D-Wheel approaching him, so he turned his head around, seeing Yusei riding his runner with Rua and Ruka on it, making him smile widely, as he started running towards them.

“Guys!” Tenpei was shouting happily, while running towards the garage.

“Tenpei!” Rua and Ruka shouted in unison, waiting for Tenpei to come to them, while Tenpei’s smile brought one to Yusei’s face. He watched Tenpei carrying a bag with noodles inside, as he was running towards all three of them, but soon he hear another voice near him.

“Yusei!” He immediately turned his head, just to see Aki standing near the garage with her hands behind her back.

“Aki?” Yusei was slightly surprised to see her around here, “What brings you here?”

“I just wanted to talk to you about something”, Aki murmured with her cheeks slightly blushing, so Yusei took off of his runner and approached her.

“What is it?” Yusei asked warmly, as Rua, Ruka and Tenpei ran to him and hugged him tight.

“Yusei!”

“Whoa! Careful there, guys!” Aki shouted worriedly, because it looked like they were about to knock Yusei down to the ground.

“Aki, you’re here, too!” Ruka smiled brightly, moving away from Yusei.

“Yeah”, she murmured shyly, so Yusei realised she wanted to talk to him in private, so he cleared his throat.

“Why don’t you three go see Hanako first and hand her those bags over? I’ll be right there in a second!”

Rua, Ruka and Tenpei nodded at the same time, before they ran inside the garage to check on Hanako and to leave bags inside the garage, making Yusei move his eyes to Aki, who seemed to be distracted by something.

“Sorry, you were saying”, Yusei smiled.

“I was just”, she was trying to find words to say, but nothing was coming her way.

“Maybe we should go for a walk?” Yusei smiled warmly once again, pointing to her to start walking down the street, so that no one interrupts them on their way.

“Ah, sure!” Aki blushed even more, as she started walking away from the garage, followed by Yusei, but soon her happiness was broke into piece, when Rua and Ruka started running behind them, shouting Yusei’s name in agony and fear.

“Yusei!” Rua shouted, as he was losing his breath on his way to Yusei.

“Yusei! Big trouble!” Ruka added, trying to catch Rua’s steps.

“What’s wrong, Rua? Ruka?” Yusei immediately stopped, turning around to see the Twins.

“It’s Baby…” Ruka said worriedly.

“Baby?!?” Yusei started to fear for her life, seeing the Twins in this state, while Aki was just carefully looking at them, seeing Yusei’s face turning pale, “What happened?”

“She is…” Ruka started when Rua interrupted.

“We can’t wait, quick! Hurry!” He grabbed Yusei’s hand and started dragging him back to the garage.

“Sorry, Aki!” He looked behind to meet her gaze, “We’ll talk some other time!” He added, before he started running back to the garage to check on Hanako. But just when they all entered the garage, he saw Hanako lying on the floor like she was unconscious. She looked so lifeless, as she was lying in the middle of the garage, but instead of being dead worried for her life, Yusei just smiled and sighed in relief.

“We found her like this! She’s not moving at all!” Rua started, as tears started gathering in his eyes.

“Is she dead?!?” Ruka shivered, when Tenpei mentioned the word ‘dead’.

“Calm down, guys! She’s just sleeping!” Yusei laughed softly.

“Sleeping?” Rua was confused.

“Yeah”, Yusei said when Jack and Crow bumped inside the garage to see what all the rush was about, just to see Hanako lying on the floor.

“Oh, she fell asleep on the floor again, huh?” Jack murmured.

“Geez, again?!?” Crow rolled his eyes and all three of them started laughing like crazy.

“How is she able to sleep like that?” Aki jumped in peeking through the door of the garage.

“She’s always like that”, Jack crossed his hands.

“Some things never change I guess”, Yusei nodded.

“Well, they don’t, but I ain’t carrying her again!” Crow shouted, “She’s not a child anymore!”

“No, Crow! You’re just too small”, Jack said coldly.

“Am not!”

“Sure are!”

“Am not!”

“You are!”

“Guys, that’s enough!” Yusei said calmly, “You’re going to wake her up if you keep on like this!”

“Wasn’t that the whole point?!?” Rua was confused, as Ruka, Aki and Tenpei still had no idea what was going on.

“Sorry, Yusei, but I’m too tired for this…” Crow added, waving with his hand, as he started climbing upstairs, “I’m gonna go grab something to eat before going to bed!”

“Yeah, me too!” Jack added, following Crow behind.

“Me three!” Ruka joked while everyone stayed silent and there was now only one person that stayed, so everyone looked at Yusei!

“What?” He was confused at first but then just sighed, “Fine!” He approached Hanako and gently placed his hands underneath her neck and knees, keeping his touches smooth and soft, not to wake her up.

“Be careful, Yusei”, Ruka murmured while Aki was just watching Yusei carrying Hanako in his arms, thinking about how sweet and caring Yusei was, as she couldn’t help but start daydreaming about him.

“Don’t worry, Ruka! She won’t wake up”, he explained.

“How so?” Rua was confused.

“She’s sleeping like a baby if she has that wrench in her hands”, Crow shrugged and yawned because it was too late, “Maybe we should all go to sleep!”

“You’re right!” Rua and Ruka said in unison, as they grabbed Aki’s hands, before accompanying her outside the garage and back to their homes.

Yusei took Hanako upstairs to his room, because they had only three; one for Crow, other for Jack and the third one for him, so they agreed to switch rooms every weekend, so that Hanako can stay in one of the three, while one of the guys will be sleeping on the couch in the garage. One week Crow would sleep on the couch, another would Yusei and so on…

“You must have worked hard these days because of me”, Yusei murmured, while carrying Hanako to his room, as he looked at her peaceful sleeping face. As soon as he entered the room, he placed her body gently onto the bed and covered her with a sheet, so she won’t be cold, but seeing her sound asleep just made him realise how tired and sleepy he was, so he yawned at the sight of her, before he fell asleep, too.

Meanwhile, Jack and Crow had their noodles for dinner, but when they realised Yusei’s not on the couch in the garage, they went to his room to see what was going on and what they saw there left them speechless. Yusei was lying on his bed, facing Hanako’s back, while his hands were wrapped around her. She was just lying on her right side and holding his thumb in her fist like a newborn baby.

“I knew it!!!” Crow shouted through a whisper, as both he and Jack were peeking through the door.

“And to think why she got that nickname”, Jack whispered.

“Yeah”, Crow giggled, “Wasn’t it your idea?”

“I thought it was yours”, Jack looked at Crow in confusion, but soon realised it doesn’t even matter now. He turned his eyes back to Hanako and Yusei, enjoying the sweet night silence, but then Crow started with his questions again.

“I can’t believe she fell asleep on the floor again, while holding that wrench of hers!”

“And she’s holding Yusei’s thumb!”

“Well, whoever gave called her Baby first was not wrong at all!” Crow smiled softly.

“After all, she is still our younger foster sister and we have to protect her, Crow!”

“We sure do, Jack!” Crow whispered back, remembering something else, “Hey, Jack! Do you think Yusei sees her as more than just a friend or foster sister?”

“Why?” Jack looked down at Crow’s hair, as he was standing behind his back.

“Look at them”, Crow started explaining, “They’re like”, he suddenly stopped, not finding the words to explain how he felt.

“Like what?” Jack was confused, “Don’t make me kick your ass!” Jack raised one hand up into the air, angrily whispering back at Crow.

“Calm down, Jack!” Crow panicked slightly, closing the door and leaving Yusei and Hanako alone and in peace, “It was just a guess anyway!” He rolled his eyes, as both of them went to their rooms to take some rest, knowing how tomorrow another hard day is waiting for all for all of them.


	23. The Power from Withing the Speed Part I

18th Chapter

(following anime episodes 71 and 72)

**The Power from Withing the Speed**

Part I

Yet another day came to shine upon Neo Domino city, making every single person to open their eyes under the bright rays of sunlight and Hanako was not excluded from that! She felt sun rising up into the sky, as she felt warm rays of it caressing her face early in the morning, so she started waking up slowly. As she opened her eyes, she felt warmth all over her waist, realising something was wrong, as she was lying in bed, trying to come to her senses after waking up. Her hands slowly travelled to her waist and before she could realise what was going on and where she was, she turned her head over her shoulder just to see Yusei sleeping behind her with his hands wrapped around her waist, like he was protecting her; their bodies were like glued to one another, making her even more uncomfortable and confused.

“Aaargh!” Hanako screamed louder than she knew she could, moving away from Yusei's sleeping body, as she fell on the floor, while her heart was beating fast.

Her screams echoed through the house, making Crow and Jack worried, as they both ran upstairs to Yusei's room to see what happened, while Hanako got on her knees and peaked over the edge of the bed, just to see Yusei waking up due to her screaming.

“Yusei?!?” She murmured slowly, still confused for what happened, while her eyes were blinking rapidly for a few seconds, “What are you doing here?”

“This is my room”, Yusei murmured, as his body was trying to fully wake up now. He opened his eyes, seeing Hanako looking around, like she was exploring her surroundings.

“Oh, hammers, it really is!” She muttered, “Then, what am I doing here?”

“Yusei carried you all the way up here, because you fell asleep on the floor in the garage!” Hanako and Yusei heard another voice in the room, so they both turned to the front door, seeing Crow and Jack standing there and looking inside.

“Yeah”, Yusei nodded, “I must have fallen asleep afterwards…”

“Go figure!” Crow laughed, “I sure didn’t carry you all the way up here!”

“What time is it anyway?” Hanako suddenly spoke, getting an answer straight away from Jack.

“Almost 10 o'clock!”

“What?!? Why didn't you wake me up?”

“You needed some rest, Baby!” Jack said calmly.

“I know I’ve never said this before, but”, Crow had to agree, “Jack's right!”

“And what about breakfast?” Hanako insisted, but the guys were already prepared.

“Already done!” Crow smiled brightly, “You know, you really have to deal with the fact that we can live here without your constant help, mum!”

“Very funny, Crow!” Hanako rolled her eyes, as she stood up on her feet and started leaving Yusei's room, while Crow followed her steps with his eyes and just when she left from their sight, Jack sighed, not knowing what to do.

“I think you hit her nerve!”

“Yeah”, Crow agreed, “Bulls eye for me!” He was looking at the stairs that were leading down into the kitchen, when suddenly Yusei took his attention, so both Jack and Crow moved their eyes to Yusei.

“Sorry, guys! Looks like I wasn't aware of how tired and exhausted I was last night”.

“Nah, it's OK”, Crow waved, “You need some rest, too!” He winked at Yusei before going away, so Jack followed him, leaving Yusei alone in his room.

“Sure”, Yusei muttered after Crow and Jack already disappeared from his room, as Crow started looking around, trying to find Hanako and where she went.

“Hey, Baby!” Crow shouted, when he realised she wasn't eating her breakfast.

“What is it now?!” He heard her voice coming out of the garage.

“I can't believe she's already down there!” Crow rolled his eyes, murmuring to Jack, who didn’t seem to be surprised by that fact.

“You act like you don't know her”, he smirked.

“Well, sometimes I really feel that way”, Crow just answered, entering the garage with Jack still by his side, seeing Hanako already on the go, “Aren't you going to eat something first?” Crow asked, looking at Hanako working on the engine.

“I'm not hungry”, she murmured without taking her look away from the mechanism.

“Like I care!” Crow said, after her actions pissed him off, “I have delivery to do anyway!” He walked to his runner and soon left the garage.

“You know, you could've at least thanked him for making that breakfast”, Jack sighed, looking at Hanako's dirty hands.

“Sorry, Jack... I'm not in the mood right now”, Hanako murmured, while looking like something was bothering her.

“Is something wrong, Baby?” Jack asked, but just then something started making loud noises, so Jack turned into that direction, not knowing what was going on, “What's that?”

“Yusei's runner”, Hanako murmured, looking up, as she started approaching it, “Looks like someone is calling!”

“Who could it be at this hour?”

“Maybe Aki wants to hang out with Yusei again”, Hanako just murmured, not really happy about that idea, but she answered the call regardless.

“So?” Jack raised an eyebrow, when he saw Hanako's facial expression after she answered.

“Nothing”, Hanako murmured again, looking at the screen that was completely blank.

“What do you mean _nothing_?”

“When I answered, no one picked up”, she said in confusion, as she lost her thoughts from the present moment, taking them somewhere far, far into her deep thinking.

“Strange”, Jack murmured, when suddenly the runner started beeping again, but just when Hanako wanted to press the button again, she heard Yusei's voice in the background.

“Let me answer it this time”, Yusei showed them a small smile, as he connected his cell phone to his runner, answering the call, “Yes?”

Jack and Hanako both looked at Yusei with their curious eyes, waiting for him to finish with the call, as both of them were eager to find out who was it this time.

“Got it!” Yusei nodded, while speaking with someone on the phone, “Be right there!”

“Who was it?” Hanako asked immediately after Yusei put down the phone.

“A customer?” Yusei said, but it sounded like he was asking himself whether this was true or not.

“Customer?” Jack repeated after him in the same tone.

“Yeah, looks like I have something to check upon”, he said, still looking a bit confused.

“Fixing stuff again?” Jack just added.

“I guess so... “ Yusei murmured, as he put his jacket on and started walking towards his runner, making Hanako step away from it. She was looking at Yusei, feeling like something was not right about this! He was either hiding something or he was really just as confused as she was right now.

“Want me to come with you?” Hanako asked, wanting to know more about the mysterious call he just got.

“No!” Yusei said with his voice slightly raised, making Hanako slightly jump in surprise at first, but then she just saddened her face, “You can do better job here with the engine than wasting time on a microwave”, Yusei added, showing a small smile on his voice, wanting to assure Hanako how everything will be just fine.

“Yeah, you're right!” Hanako nodded, feeling better now that she realised why he wanted to go alone.

“Jack!” Yusei placed his helmet on, starting his engine, “Watch Hanako's back for me, will you?” He just speeded away, disappearing before Jack and Hanako could react to his sentence, but after few seconds, his last words hit Hanako hard, because she knew he would never say something like that, especially not so explicitly! He was always sure she can take care for herself and that she never needed his help, because he was always there with her.

“Why would he…” Hanako murmured to herself, while Jack was watching her confused face, like she sensed something wrong with all of this.

“Something wrong, Baby?”

“I am just wondering”, she murmured, looking at the door that Yusei went through, as her thoughts tried to explain and analyse Yusei's words and actions, “Never mind!” She shook her head, “I am probably just over thinking things!” She smiled at Jack, not believing he calmed himself down so fast, like nothing happened.

“Fine, then!” He nodded, “I'll be at my usual place if you need me!” He murmured, leaving the garage, as Hanako stayed all alone.

*** * ***

In the afternoon that day, Hanako was still in the garage, working on the engine, when she suddenly remembered the bolt that Yusei has given to her, so she ran to the shelf to pick it up. As she looked at it, she started wondering what meaning could be hidden behind the sign engraved into it. She was so stressed over waking up next to him this morning that she forgot to ask Yusei where he found this bolt and what he knows about it.

“Thinking about Yusei”, she started murmuring to herself, “Shouldn't he already be home by now?” She was stunned by the design of the bolt in her hand that she completely isolated herself from the present moment, when suddenly Jack shook her thinking away.

“Hey, Baby, where's Yusei?”

“He still hasn't come back”, Hanako answered with slice of worry in her voice.

“Ever since early in the morning?”

“Mhm –“

“Strange”.

“I know”, Hanako added, “I was thinking about it, too!”

Jack saw Hanako's worried face, “Maybe I should go look out for him!”

“Sure! I'll try to give him a call”, she tried to smile unsuccessfully before running to her runner to give Yusei a call, but he did not answer, “He's not answering!”

“Maybe he is too busy”, Jack assumed, before putting his helmet on.

“I doubt it”, Hanako added, “If he knows it's me, he always picks it up!” She looked away, seeing her blank screen with no signs of Yusei calling her back, but then she heard her D-Wheel beeping, so she pressed the button to answer the call thinking it was Yusei, “Yusei?!?” She immediately shouted with a smile on her face, but then she got disappointed.

“So I guess he's still not home”, Crow answered from the other side of the screen.

“No, still no signs of him!”

“And Jack?” Crow raised one eyebrow, making Hanako look up to see Jack already ready to leave the garage.

“He's on his way!”

“Perfect!” Crow shouted, when suddenly their call was interrupted and both of them heard strange noises coming out of the speaker.

“Crow, what is happening?!?” Hanako shouted, trying to stabilise the connection between her runner and Crow's Blackbird.

“Have no idea”, Crow shrugged, when suddenly strange voice started speaking out.

“Your friend, Yusei Fudo, has been kidnapped!”

“Kidnapped?!?” Crow shouted, “Hey, you! Who are you?!?”

“What do you mean Yusei was kidnapped?!? Where is he?!?” Hanako started shouting into the screen, but all of a sudden, she saw Crow again, while their video-call looked like nothing happened.

“Crow”, Hanako murmured, looking at Crow, like she was begging him to help her.

“You don't have to say!” Crow winked at her knowing exactly what Hanakos' eyes were telling him, “We'll find him, Baby!” He added, quitting the call, as he re-dialled the call to Jack, who was also on his way, looking for Yusei, “What's the word, Jack? Find Yusei?”

“No, still no sign of him!” Jack murmured unhappily, “Same on your end, Crow?”

“Yeah, and I was right in the middle of making deliveries too... What a total drag!”

“Stop complaining or I'll drag your ass back home and you will finish with your delivery earlier today!” Hanako joined in the conversation, scolding Crow for his words, as her face popped up on both Jack's and Crow's screen.

“Calm down, Baby, someone is probably just messing around with us!”

“Crow's right!” Jack agreed, “Just because we couldn't get in contact with him for a while doesn't mean we should be overreacting like this!”

“Who's overreacting?” Hanako murmured angrily.

“Hey, you three!” Aki's voice suddenly bumped into their conversation. She sounded like she was pissed off.

“Talking about overreacting”, Jack murmured to himself, pissed off by Aki’s sudden concerns about Yusei.

“After hearing you say all that, are you saying that you don't care what happens to Yusei?”

“Aki”, Hanako murmured worriedly.

“It’s not like…” Crow started, wanting to explain himself, but Aki was so angry and pissed that her expressing her feelings was stronger than both Crow’s and Jack’s words.

“I swear!” Aki sighed in disbelief.

“Don't worry, Aki-san!” Mikage said, as she was driving Aki in her car, “I'm sure you're just over concerning yourself because it's Yusei!”

“Well”, Crow started, “For one thing, there's that weird call that tipped us off from the start”, he said, remembering the call that reached Jack, Hanako and him and the strange male voice talking about Yusei being kidnapped, “Going from that, it looks pretty hockey to me!”

“Crow is right. Someone might be trying to trap us!”

“True”, Hanako added to Jack’s words, “Besides, this wouldn't be the first time he disappeared like that”, she sighed, feeling helpless.

“I know that!” Aki shouted angrily again, “But, we'll get nowhere unless we confirm that Yusei's safe!”

“Okay, I get it; just drop it!” Jack shouted back at her, “Honestly, whenever it's something about Yusei, you're so...”

“I'm so _what_?”

“Nothing”, Jack gave up on arguing with Aki, knowing it would lead him to nowhere, but just then the screen got off and he lost connection with everyone else.

“What gives?” Crow groaned, dealing with the same thing.

“Guys?!?” Hanako shouted, looking at the screen losing its signal, “Guys?!?” She tried to reach her friends, but nothing seemed to be happening... Her signal was completely cut off, so she ran for her support antenna to connect it to her runner, “I'll be damned if I let go of this... After spending so much time with Yusei, I learnt some trick, too!” She smiled to herself, trying to adjust the signal, hearing noises from the other side of the speaker, knowing she was heading somewhere, when suddenly, she started hearing voices.

“We're being jammed!”

“That's Mikage's voice!” Hanako murmured, “Someone must have screwed with her private Security line”, she rolled her eyes, “Talking about the high security standards. No wonder Yusei managed to hack it from Satellite!”

“The car Yusei Fudo is on is heading north on Blue Hill Route in West Valley”, some strange male voice started talking again and Hanako was able to recognise it! It was the same voice that called to say they kidnapped Yusei, “You should hurry... or he'll get brought back into their base!”

“No!” Hanako whispered worriedly, as her whole body started to shiver. She opened the map on her runner, switching it to satellite view of the city to track down the vehicles moving around in that direction, “He should be here somewhere!” She pointed the screen, showing it to herself, “Alright! Let's do this!” She took a deep breath and smiled, before jumping onto her runner and heading to the West Valley, “Hang on, Yusei, I'm coming!”

On her way, Hanako felt her heart beating faster, as the adrenaline started rising inside of her body. She was speeding through the city like never before, hoping she will arrive before something bad happens to Yusei, as her mind started having flashback of every single moment she spent with him in the last few months… Later, taking her back to her childhood, remembering how she and Yusei used to collect spare parts from the Junkyard and how they built his first D-Wheel… As time was passing by, she lost the track of the time, but then something caught her eyes: there was a duel going on, so she tracked Yusei's runner, just to find out it was Yusei duelling! Hanako immediately hit her break, turning sharp to the right, entering the duelling lane and as she started driving through it, she saw Yusei's red runner before her eyes, making her smile brightly, happy to see that Yusei was all right! But there was something strange going on! First, Aki was sitting behind Yusei, driving with him and second, the challenger Yusei was facing was someone she has never met before!

“Not bad for a boy, Yusei Fudo!” Hanako heard the challenger shouting back at Yusei, so she connected her runner to his, to get a better view of the duel status, but then that Turbo Duellist parked the runner, so Yusei did the same.

“I knew it!” Yusei shouted with a smirk.

“Yusei!” Hanako rushed in, parking her runner by Yusei's side.

“Baby?!?” Yusei was shocked, “What are you doing here, it's too dangerous!”

“Another Turbo Duellist?” The strange challenger murmured into the helmet, seeing Hanako showing up next to Yusei.

“Who is this guy?” Hanako looked at the duellist, ignoring Yusei's concerns.

“I wish I knew”, Yusei murmured, as he remembered they were in the middle of the duel, so he turned to the mysterious duellist, seeing for answers, “What's the reason behind these dirty tricks?”

After hearing his words, the mysterious Turbo Duellist placed hands onto the helmet and revealed her face, making Hanako stunned, “A girl? She is a female Turbo Duellist just like me?!?”

“I am Sherry Leblanc!” The duellist said, “I was testing your skills! But I see you already have one girl on the runner by your side!”

“Believe it or not, we do exist!” Hanako joked sarcastically, sustaining herself from any additional comments and her words made Sherry smirk.

“I'm sorry for deceiving you, but, Yusei Fudo, I came to take you away as well. I won't let you over to any other team!”

“To take him away?” Hanako raised her eyebrow.

“What do you mean by that?” Yusei finally said.

“I've been trying to recruit you to my team as well!” Sherry started, “You're going to participate in the W.R.G.P. on my team and win!”

“What?!?”

“You don't have to give your answer today”, Sherry smiled to Yusei, “This duel is just a greeting. Let's try to enjoy it!” She put her helmet on and drove off, speeding far away.

“Wait!” Yusei shouted seeing her leave, but just when he wanted to start his engine, he remembered Aki was sitting behind him, so he turned to her, “Get off, Aki! It's dangerous!”

“No, let me stay like this!” She protested, “I want to see you two Riding Duel! I know somewhere in there lies a moment so important that it just can't be missed!”

“Fine, then!” Yusei said indifferently, focusing onto Sherry's runner, speeding up to catch up to her, “Hold on tight!”

“Hey, don't tell me you'll let her”, Hanako started, not believing Yusei would let Aki ride behind him like that, but he was already far awayr, “Hey, Yusei!” Hanako shouted once again, but then she realised it was no use, “You will never change!” Hanako sighed, starting her engine and trying to keep up with Yusei's speed, while still keeping a safety distance line behind him.

Her runner drew Yusei's attention, “Got my back as always, Baby?” He smirked, looking over his shoulder to meet Hanako's eyes through the speeding winds.

“You bet!” Hanako winked at him with a smile, but then she started thinking to herself, _“I've never met a girl, who is turbo duelling. I wonder if Sherry really is that good and how will Yusei deal with her turns! And not matter what happens, this is something I must not miss!”_

“I knew you'd come!” Sherry's voice echoed through the duelling lanes, so Hanako focused her eyes onto the duelling board seeing Yusei's Life Points being at 2 300 with 5 Speed Counters, while Sherry, on the other side, had 4 Speed Counters and 3 900 Life Points.

“Yusei already has his Junk Warrior on the field!” Hanako whispered, “And now it's his turn. I wonder how Sherry will deal with his calculations!” She looked up, seeing Yusei's back before her eyes.

“My turn!” Yusei exclaimed, “I summon the Tuner Monster, Turbo Synchron (ATK 100 / DEF 500)!” After making his field perfect, he started tuning his monsters, “Clustering bonds weave a greater force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Roar engines, Turbo Warrior (ATK 2 500 / DEF 1 500)!”

“As expected from you, Wonderboy”, Hanako smiled, seeing Turbo Warrior attack Sherry's monster.

“Turbo Warrior's Effect activates!” Yusei shouted, “When this monster attacks a monster with a level of six or higher, it halves the attack power of the opposing monster!” This dropped Fleur de Chevalier's attack points down to 1 350, while Sherry lost some of her Life Points that were now at 2 750!

 _“Amazing!”_ Aki thought to herself, while watching Yusei's turn _, “It's an extremely destructive effect, which turns being a high-level monster into a disadvantage!”_ She looked at Sherry's field, but her monster wasn't destroyed! “Why wasn't it destroyed?” Aki's eyes widened.

“Because Sherry read through Yusei's attack!”

“What?!?” Aki turned behind to see Hanako driving behind Yusei.

“Trap card, For Our Ideals!” Sherry shouted, activating her trap, “By sending one monster on my field to the Cemetery, it negates the destruction of one monster in battle!” Sherry looks behind and smiles after seeing unpleased look on Yusei's face, “Since it lasted this battle, Fleur de Chevalier's attack power returns to normal!” She adds, as her monster gains back its original attack, Fleur de Chevalier (ATK 2 700 / DEF 2 300).

“She's smart!” Hanako whispered in awe, _“I can't believe she managed to read through Yusei so easily. She can really understand his soul in this duel”,_ Hanako was looking at Sherry riding her runner, _“Could it be...?”_

“Trap card, open!” Yusei shouted, interrupting Hanako's thoughts, “Synchro out! It returns a Synchro Monster on my field to the Extra Deck and summons back the set of Synchro Material monsters in my Cemetery until the End Phase!”

Hanako looked at Yusei's runner again, but then she saw a small part of Aki's surprised face, so she started thinking about it all, _“He is probably trying to tune his Warrior again, which means that the card on his field must be Urgent Tuning! This way, he can re-use the Effect of his Turbo Warrior!”_ She moved her look down to his field, “Now... Let's see if Sherry is aware of that!”

“Yusei, what are you trying to do?” Aki screamed, like she was pissed off by Yusei's turn, not believing he was risking in this duel this much. Her face was worried and confused, but Yusei was just smiling and enjoying the duel, making Aki even more confused.

“Fleur de Chevalier's effect can only be used once per turn! So, what's your choice?” Yusei smirked, looking before him to meet Sherry's gaze.

 _“He's playing with fire!”_ Hanako thought to herself.

“Go ahead and surprise me!” Sherry smiled back at him, “I have a strategy in store that's superior! I won't use Fleur de Chevalier's effect on Synchro Out!” With that being said, Yusei's field was once again covered with Junk Warrior and Turbo Warrior.

“Now, Trap card, open!” Yusei shouted, “Emergency Tuning!”

“I knew it!” Sherry smiled, showing no surprise on her face, “I won't let you Synchro Summon! Fleur de Chevalier's effect activates!”

“So she read his move after all!” Hanako's eyes widened.

“I'll destroy your trap card!” Sherry shouted, as Yusei's Emergency Tuning gets destroyed, but that didn't change Yusei's facial expression, “Now your trap is gone. All that's left for you is Magic! But, by a card being destroyed, my Trap card opens! Chain Close!”

“Chain Close?” Hanako was confused, not knowing what that card does, so she tapped the button on her goggles to see the card base, as she read, “The opposing player cannot activate Magic or Trap cards until the End phase... She cornered him just like that!?!”

“I predicted as much!” Yusei smiled, making Aki look at him with surprise.

“I knew it would come this far!” Yusei said again though a smirk, making even Sherry surprised, “I'll attack Fleur de Chevalier with Turbo Synchron!”

“I knew it!” Hanako shouted happily.

“Turbo Synchron's effect activates!” Yusei shouted, “It switches the monster targeted with its attack to defence mode!”

“Even so, what good will your 100 ATK power Turbo Synchron do?!” Sherry asked, while her voice was slightly shivering, like she was afraid of Yusei’s next step.

Her words made Aki look at Yusei’s duelling board, seeing his Life Points dropping down to 100, “Yusei, do you know what you've done?!?”

“Leave him, Aki!” Hanako shouted from behind, “He knows what he's doing!” She added, knowing Aki would never be able to understand Turbo Duelling and Yusei’s brilliant mind.

“Turbo Synchron's effect activates!” Yusei shouted soon after Hanako interrupted Aki’s scolding, “I can special summon a monster with an attack power equal or less than the damage I received due to its attack from my hand!”

“Fix this, Sherry!” Hanako giggled, still keeping a safe distance behind Yusei.

“I summon Junk Collector (ATK 1000 / DEF 2 200)!” Yusei played his card onto the field, “Junk Collector's Effect activates! By removing this card and a Trap card in my Cemetery, it will activate the removed Trap!”

“And since it was triggered by monster's effect, it is not affected by Chain Close!” Hanako clenched her fist and pointed it towards Yusei, feeling thrilled he managed to pull it this far.

“Correct!” Yusei smiled at Hanako, moving his head back to Sherry, “I select the Emergency Tuning in my Cemetery in order to Synchro Summon!”

“It can't be!” Sherry groaned, but soon Yusei had his monster back onto the field again.

“Be revived, Turbo Warrior!”

“Of course you'd do this much to Synchro Summon”, Sherry murmured to herself, focusing her eyes onto her duelling board.

“Turbo Warrior attacks your defence mode Fleur de Chevalier!” Yusei exclaims, as Sherry’s Fleur de Chevalier gets destroyed, putting a bright smile on Yusei’s face, “I end my turn!”

Seeing all the trouble Yusei went through just to summon his Turbo Warrior again, made Hanako think, “ _I can't believe the amount of energy flowing around us... I almost forgot the feeling of Turbo Duelling with Yusei like that and with this Sherry girl... It feels like they are riding with the wind!”_ She closed her eyes and enjoyed the wind playing with her hair; caressing her face, _“It's like they're making love right here, duelling in this arena! Just like we used to duel before...”_

“However, Yusei, albeit it was to destroy Fleur de Chevalier, it was a mistake to reduce your Life Points to 100!” Sherry shouted, making Hanako snap out of her thoughts.

“Sorry to admit it, Yusei, but she's right!” Hanako had to agree with Sherry’s words, making Yusei look over his shoulder to meet Hanako’s eyes.

“I'm aware of that!”

“With Speed World II, when your Speed Counters are at four or more, for each Speed Spell in your hand, I'm allowed to inflict 800 points of damage!” Sherry added, “My Speed Counters are at four, my hand at zero, and your fate all rides on my next draw! The moment I draw a Speed Spell, you will lose!”

“No way!” Aki shouted with worry sleeping in her voice.

“Now only miracle can watch your back, Wonderboy”, Hanako murmured to herself, waiting the next turn.

“Yusei, you've passed the safety lines of the Riding Duel!” Sherry looked at Yusei, “In this world of speed, where life is lived dangerously, you're completely exposed!” Her words made everyone nervously waiting for her next draw, just to see which card will it be, “My turn!” Sherry drew a card from her deck and moved her eyes to the same direction, just to see what it was before she played it onto the field, “I play Sacred Knight Shield-Bearer in defence mode!”

“Phew! That was close!” Hanako sighed.

“Sacred Knight Shield-Bearer's effect activates!” Sherry continued with her turn, “By removing a card with ‘ _Sacred Knight’_ in its name in my Cemetery from the game, I'm allowed to draw one more card from the deck!”

“Here goes nothing!” Hanako sang through a whisper, impatiently waiting to see what card Sherry will draw now.

“I place a card face-down to end my turn!” Sherry said, as Hanako rolled her eyes, realising it wasn’t Speed Spell again.

“Literally!” A small smirk showed up on Hanako’s face.

“After all those chances, fate has turned her back on me”, Sherry added, “It makes me want you all the more!”

Sherry’s words made Hanako’s heart skip a beat at thinking about having Yusei for herself, but then she looked at Aki and murmured to herself, “I think you're not the only one here!”

“Hey, now!” Aki shouted, like she read Hanako’s mind.

“Although, Yusei, what is it you duel for?” Sherry just asked, ignoring Aki’s reaction, “Why are you entering the W.R.G.P.?”

“Because...”

Hanako heard Yusei’s voice, “Wish I knew that answer too!”

“...by entering this Grand Prix, I'll find a new goal!” Yusei finished with revealing his reasons.

“Then, for no reason really?”

“What exactly are you getting at?” Yusei was caught by surprise at Sherry’s words.

“I have a reason!” Sherry explained, “A huge reason called _vengeance_!”

“Really?” Hanako suddenly got disappointed by Sherry’s ideals and goals, “Why is it that everyone is either trying to destroy the world or kill someone by avenging the one?”

“I was born as the only daughter of the Leblancs, a family with long history involved in the card industry!” Sherry started with her story.

“Oh, a rich girl?” Hanako murmured.

“Yes! I lived a happy life with my kind mother and father”, Sherry added, “However, in time, the miles soon vanished from my mother and father's faces. It was around then that a conglomerate had been trying to buy up the business my father managed, but my father wouldn't see to that!”

 _“Why am I familiar with this type of story?”_ Hanako thought to herself.

“And then”, Sherry continued with revealing her past to other, “My parents were killed and... As the only survivor, the company persistently trailed me. I flied all over the world, and I came to find out that a certain organisation, behind the scenes of that company, was involved!”

“Who was it?” Hanako murmured.

But Sherry didn’t take a second to think, but rather just shouted out, “Yliaster!”

“No way!” Yusei’s body trembled for a moment, “I heard that name in the past!”

“Yliaster is a legendary organisation that steps well over things such as 'good and evil'. However, they will go by any means to eliminate all who get in their way!” Sherry explained, “Just as they have killed my family!”

“That's unbelievable!” Yusei hissed.

“It was then that I began to understand what they needed from me!” Sherry started thinking about a part from her past and to Hanako it looked like she was having a flashback, but then she just pulled herself together and looked over her shoulder, “Yusei, I want your help! Yliaster is pulling the strings behind the upcoming W.R.G.P.”

“They're what?!?” Yusei’s eyes widened.

“That's why I'm going to win the W.R.G.P. and get closer to them!”

“But seeking vengeance will bring you only pain and sorrow!” Hanako shouted, “You can't turn back time and revive your parents! And what will happen once you get your vengeance? You will just feel empty and-”

“You don't get it!” Sherry’s will to avenge her family was growing stronger, “I need to know! As to _what_ Yliaster is trying to accomplish... As to _why_ my parents had to be murdered! And that is why, Yusei, you...”

“But Yusei has friends - Jack and Crow! That's why-“ Aki tried to explain, but Sherry cut off her words.

“I wasn't asking you!”

“Wait a second!” Aki protested, “You don't even know the first thing about Yusei!”

“Aki, you shouldn't…” Hanako murmured, not believing Aki wasn’t able to understand what Sherry was implying to.

“Oh, yes, I do!”

“…stick your nose where it doesn't belong!” Hanako finished between Sherry’s words.

“In only these few turns, we have both learned about one another! This speed... This wind...” Sherry tried to explain to Aki, “They're all telling me the quivers of Yusei's heart! And my heart as well... That is something only those who Riding Duel can understand!”

“She is right, Aki!” Hanako said, “You wouldn't understand!”

“Just like this speed, I'm fighting on the brink!” Sherry added, “Yusei! Isn't that the sort of duel you've searched for, too?!?” She looked over her shoulder once again to meet Yusei’s gaze, to see that look in his eyes, “If you fight with me, I'm positive you'll be able to find your goal as well!”

“I...” Yusei was struggling to find the words to say.

“I consider it a fair offer, so give it some careful consideration!” Sherry smiled, “It's your turn!”

“My turn! I activate the effect of the Field Magic, Speed World II, which by removing seven of my Speed Counters, lets me draw a card!” Yusei started his turn, “I summon the Tuner Monster, Drill Synchron (ATK 800 / DEF 300)!”

“I just hope this will be over soon”, Hanako shook her head, realising Yusei started to struggle after Sherry’s story.

“Turbo Warrior attacks Sacred Knight Spear-bearer!” Yusei managed to destroy Sherry’s Knight, “Drill Synchron's effect activates! When a monster on my field attacks a monster in defence mode, it deals Piercing Damage!” As Yusei’s attack was over, Sherry’s Life Points dropped down to 1 550, “Next, when I inflict damage via this effect, I draw one card from my deck!”

“Trap card, open!” Sherry shouted as an answer to Yusei’s effect activation, “Freedom Release! When a monster on my field is destroyed by battle, this returns all monsters on the field to the deck!”

Yusei groans, not pleased with Sherry’s action, “I place two cards face-down, ending my turn!”

“This duel is giving me goose bumps!” Hanako whispered, feeling whole her body tremble at the tension between Sherry and Yusei, enjoying the duel between them like never before.

“It's my turn!” Sherry said, drawing a card from her deck, “I summon Sacred Knight Joan (ATK 1 900 / DEF 1 300)!”

“Destiny really turned its back on you, Sherry!” Hanako sighed in disbelief, after Sherry wasn’t able to draw a Speed Spell again.

“We'll see about that!” Sherry shouted with pride, “Sacred Knight Joan's effect will drop its attack power by 300 points only when it attacks!” Her monster attacked Yusei directly, but he activated his trap card!

“Synchro Spirits! By removing a Snychro Monster in my Cemetery from the game, this card will Special Summon its set of material monsters!” He was keeping his posture, not letting Sherry’s words get through to him right now, as he had to concentrate onto the duel, “I remove Junk Warrior to resurrect Junk Synchron and Speed Warrior in defence mode!”

“Interesting!” Sherry was getting excited, “I'll end my turn!”

“It's my turn!” Yusei said, “I activate the Speed Spell, High-Speed Crash, from my hand! When my Speed Counters are two or more, this will destroy one card on my field and another card on the field!”

“You're going to sacrifice your face-down card to destroy Sacred Knight Joan, right?” Sherry assumed, as it was the only logical thing to do.

 _“Looks like Yusei is having something on his mind again!”_ Hanako knew Sherry and Yusei were not thinking the same thing.

“I destroy my face-down card and Speed Warrior!”

“You're what?!? Speed Warrior?” Sherry’s eyes widened in shock, making Hanako smirk at her reaction.

“Yusei is aware of that Effect from Sacred Knight Joan!”

“But, it's now that I activate the Trap card, Starlight Road!” Yusei said.

“So, _that_ was your plan?” Sherry finally realised Yusei’s intentions behind his actions.

“Starlight Road, when two or more cards on my field would be destroyed, will negate that effect and Special Summon Stardust Dragon!” But just before Yusei could summon his monster, they all heard strange noises and Sherry looked up just to see a truck losing balance on the upper highway, breaking through the wall and falling down onto the duelling arena they were in.

A strange man was standing on the highway, keeping his proud posture, so everyone could assume he was behind the accident of falling truck. As he was keeping his wicked smile, he started shouting at them, “Fudo Yusei, I won't allow you to participate in the W.R.G.P.! Now you get what you deserve for screwing with me!”

“Sherry, look out!” Hanako shouted, realising the truck was just about to fall on Sherry, “You're driving directly into the death! That truck is going to-”

“Let me handle this, Yusei!” Aki interrupted, looking down at Yusei, trying to take his Stardust Dragon card from his hand.

“What are you doing, Aki?” Yusei shouted angrily.

“I'll summon it!” Aki took Yusei’s ace monster from him, placing it before her, like she was praying for something, while Yusei’s anger only grew stronger and stronger.

“Aki!”

“Stardust Dragon, please!” Aki shouted, as she placed the card onto Yusei’d duel disk that was attached to his runner. Stardust flew all the way up into the sky, supporting the truck with its back, saving Sherry from the falling truck, as she drove under it, getting away from the danger without harming herself. Yusei and Aki went through, too, as Sherry looked behind her to see Aki more clearly.

“A psychic duellist?”

“Screw it!” Hanako shouted through a whisper, realising Stardust Dragon’s power started fading, because Aki was caught up by Sherry’s words, forgetting to control her powers.

Yusei looked over his shoulder, seeing Stardust moving away from the truck, letting it fall down to the street, “Aki, what have you done?”

Hanako was still pushing her pedal, trying to get through this trouble by herself, as her speed was drastically increasing in a small amount of time, “I swear that girl will pay me for this!” She rolled her eyes, “Are you really thinking only about Yusei, Aki?!?” She had to hit her break, as her runner got almost flat, parallel with the ground, putting her in the position where she was so close to the asphalt that her helmet started grinding over it, but Stardust managed to hold the truck for a second more, making her survive the falling truck.

Duel has been called off and the system has shut down on both runners, making Yusei and Sherry park their runners soon after the truck fell down, but Yusei was still focused on Hanako's runner, “Baby!”

Hanako pulled off, managing to maintain her balance, as she stopped her runner, leaving with only few scratches on her blue D-Wheel, “I'm fine!” She parked the runner behind Yusei’s, looking at the scratched colour on her runner, “Now I have to paint this all over again!” She murmured unhappily, making Yusei realise she was just fine, so he sigh in relief, turning his head to Sherry, seeing another man approaching them.

“Excellent work, Mizoguchi!” Sherry looked at the man parking his runner next to hers.

“Fudo Yusei! I like the look in your eyes!” Mizoguchi said, looking at Yusei’s direction.

His words made Sherry smile, “Yusei, if the duel had continued, your Stardust Dragon would have destroyed Sacred Knight Joan... and Speed Warrior would have attacked me directly!”

“Leaving you with only 50 LP left!” Hanako finished, narrowing her eyes at Sherry and then moved the piercing look at Aki, while clearing the dust from her shoulders, as she took off her helmet. She never felt so much anger and disappointment.

“Yeah, the match would all ride...” Yusei agreed, as he tried to conclude the outcome of their duel, “On your next draw, Sherry!” His words made Sherry smile, as she placed her fingers onto the deck, preparing to draw a card, making Hanako so nervous, as she was eager to find out what would happen, but then Sherry moved her fingers away and placed them before her forehead as a sign of salute!

“Not drawing, though! The world of speed won't end. Never, not for you and me!” Sherry revved her engine and started her motor running, “We'll meet again, Yusei!” She smiled even more, turning her eyes to Aki, “And you too. You're an interesting gal!” Sherry winked at Aki, making her blush!

Hanako was just looking at Sherry... But just when she was about to leave, she suddenly stopped and looked at Hanako, taking all her attention! “What?!?” She was blinking in confusion, not knowing why Sherry was looking at her like that!

“There is something about you, kiddo!” Sherry refused to turn off the smile she was wearing on her face, “f I would to choose, I'd say only you are able to understand Yusei the way I do!”

Hanako blushed, as she looked at Yusei, realising he was smiling back at her, but then she moved her look to Sherry, “Your aura is very strong, Sherry! Too bad you decided to use it for vengeance!” Hanako shrugged, but Sherry just kept smiling.

“Mind your own business, Baby!” Sherry intentionally called her by her nickname, before she and Mizoguchi drove off and left so quickly, Aki couldn’t catch up to their speed! She was standing next to Yusei’s runner, holding his extra helmet in her hands, feeling the wind caressing her face, making her soul want to experience the Riding Duel all over again!

Her facial expression made Hanako giggle, as she moved away from her runner, removing her helmet from her head, “Looks like someone had a pleasurable experience!” She teased Aki, seeing her face blushing even more, but she didn’t say a word, but rather kept looking at the direction that Sherry and Mizoguchi disappeared.

 _“I want to learn as well… Become one with the winds in the speed and learn about Yusei’s heart”_ , Aki thought to herself, feeling like there was so much more to Yusei than she thought she already knew and it only made her realise why Hanako knew so much about him… Feeling like she wants to feel the same, how she wishes to know that side of Yusei that Hanako was already familiar with...


	24. The Power From Within The Speed Part II

18th Chapter

(following anime episodes 73 and 74)

  


**The Power from Withing the Speed**

Part II

The night was peaceful in Neo Domino City, as the moonlight was shining bright, covering the streets and roofs of the houses, making the clock on Poppo Time shimmer like a diamond. Everyone was asleep, everyone except Hanako, who was working hard on constructing the new engine. The idea of W.R.G.P. approaching just wouldn't let her sleep, so she had to do something to distract her thoughts, but even though she was all alone, that period didn’t last for long.

“Baby?” Yusei suddenly whispered, as he got down the stairs and saw Hanako sitting on the floor.

“Oh, Yusei, I didn't hear you”.

“What are you doing awake at this hour?”

“Well...” She looked like she was about to explain it to him, but then she just answered, “I could ask you the same question!”

“True”, it was the only word slipping through Yusei’s lips, as he kept standing still before her eyes, like he wasn't even thinking about moving away. Soon, silence took over the garage and Hanako kept doing her work without even paying attention to Yusei, when suddenly he spoke again, “Do you need some help with that?”

“I'll be fine”, Hanako murmured

“OK”.

Hanako sensed something strange in Yusei's voice that made her look at him, realising something was probably bothering him at the moment, “Oh, c'mon, Yusei!”

“What?!?” Yusei's eyes slightly widened.

“You're not yourself, Yusei! Speak it up!” Hanako shook her head, “Don't act like I don't know you!”

“Oh, that!” Yusei whispered, remembering the dream that woke him up few minutes ago, “It was a dream...”

“A dream or a nightmare?” Hanako raised her eyebrow with a smirk.

“It was just something that was calling me”, Yusei was trying to explain, but as always, tried to remain puzzlement in his words.

“Are you sure it wasn't a certain someone that was calling you?” Hanako kept her posture, making Yusei blink in confusion, so she realised he had no idea what she was getting at, so she decided to rephrase her statement, “Looks like someone has a crush on Sherry!”

“Can I skip commenting that sentence?” Yusei looked at Hanako instead of just turning his look away, because she started giggling, making him stunned by her adorable reaction.

“I am just teasing you”, Hanako smiled, “But I do know how you felt back then!”

“Yeah, I guess it was inevitable”, Yusei murmured, still looking down at Hanako sitting on the floor. Her face was covered with grease and oil.

“Don't get me wrong”, Hanako started, cleaning her face with a cloth, “Sherry is a great duellist, Yusei! But she is duelling for vengeance... I doubt you would ever choose that path for yourself.”

“You're right, I wouldn't!” Yusei said with determination, but then something changed his facial expression, “But then again...”

Hanako looked at him, trying to realise what was bothering him, “Yliaster?”

“If only I could get closer to them... I would be able to...”

“You can get closer to them with or without Sherry, Yusei!” Hanako cut his sentence halfway through, because she knew where that would lead both of them, “All you have to do is win in the W.R.G.P. alongside your friends and everything will fall into its place!”

“And what if...”

“If what!? You lose? Don't tell me you've started losing hope!”

“It's not Jack and Crow that I'm worried about”, Yusei murmured.

“Then...” Hanako's eyes started glowing, as the tears gathered in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall down her cheeks, “It's yourself, isn’t it? It’s you you’re worried about!” She murmured sadly, seeing him nod in agreement, before she continued, “Well... It will be only your decision after all, so I can't do much”, she shrugged, making Yusei keep his eyes locked on her, thinking that she will give up just like that, but instead, she kept sharing her thoughts with him, “Really… What is it you duel for, Yusei? Is it honestly to find your cause? Or is it because of other people you feel responsible for?” Yusei stayed silent, so Hanako realised she hit his nerve, “Fine!” Her anger made her wave with her hands, realising how she won't be able to reach Yusei's inner fears, so she decided to drop it off.

“I’m sorry…”

“Come on here!” Instead of just being angry, Hanako smiled brightly, “I know something that might help you clear your thoughts!”

“What is it?”

“I finally found where this belongs!”

Yusei looked at Hanako’s hands, seeing the strange bolt between her fingers, “Ah, the bolt that I found on Marco’s cart few days ago!”

“Marco’s cart?”

“Yeah… Remember when he came to pick up Dupont’s computer?”

“Yes!” Hanako nodded.

“I helped him with loading the cargo and found that bolt while doing so…”

“Have you asked him where did he get this from?”

“I asked if he needed it, so that I can take it for you”, Yusei started, “But Marco said that it does not belong to him and that he has no idea how it got there”, now when he remembered it, saying it out loud made the whole story even more confusing than before, but Hanako did not share his thoughts.

“Now it makes more sense!”

“What do you mean?” Her words left Yusei even more confused.

“At first I thought it was the same bolt that I found on the runner of Riding Roid that we thought belonged to Ghost”, she started explaining it to him, “But after I left it at Ushio's, I though he gave it back to you, so I gave him a call in the meantime just to check things up!”

“And?”

“He explained me that he never gave you anything and that the same bolt I found is still in the Sector Security, so I went there to take it”, Hanako smiled even brighter, “And it was then, when I finally realised the symbol from the bolt wasn't the same like we thought!”

“Meaning...?”

“It surely comes from the same person, but the symbol is slightly different. In fact, the similarity is so close, you can't notice the difference if you don't compare them side by side”, Hanako showed him what she thought, bringing together both bolts side by side.

“Have you found the meaning behind those symbols?”

“Not yet, but I am trying my best. If you ask me, it looks like a message or a logo that should be visible if you assemble all of the bolts into one…”

“So you think there are more bolts like these two?”

“Yes!” Hanako jumped happily, “These guys”, she started, showing Yusei bolts more clearly, as she tried to place them next to each other, “Are a part of a mechanism and have to be applied to a special spot each. So I guess, once you put them back where they belong, you will be able to understand the symbolism behind them!”

“I get it now”, Yusei murmured, “Any ideas where other bolts might be?”

“Negative”, Hanako shook her head, “But since they are mysteriously appearing all around this garage, I think they will find their way to us when the time is right!”

“Could it be a message from Yliaster?”

“At first, I thought the same thing, but…” Hanako started, getting lost in her thoughts, “I think it’s too early for making so serious decisions”.

“You're right”, Yusei smiled, as he started thinking about what Hanako said. Looking around the garage, he took a deep thought about it, when suddenly Crow and Jack appeared on the stairs, looking refreshed and ready to take another new day’s challenge down.

“Something in particular?” Hanako saw Yusei's puzzled look in his eyes, so she kept being curious about what caught his attention, completely ignoring Jack and Crow on the stairs, but Yusei just looked at Jack and pointed his finger towards him.

“What? You want to challenge me?” Jack asked out of the blue, like he knew exactly what was on Yusei's mind, making him nod in return.

Hanako started blinking in confusion, not keeping the track of what was going on, while Yusei’s actions made Crow angry, “What do you mean, Yusei?!? You wanna go against Jack!?”

“Well, I've had it on my mind for a while now", Yusei murmured, looking at Crow, before his eyes moved back to Jack, “I want to find another way to fight. One without using Synchro Summoning”, he ended, explaining himself.

“Another way to fight?” Now even Jack was confused.

“Well”, Crow shrugged, “Why don't you just use regular deck like Hanako?”

“Hey!” Hanako pouted her lips, raising the tone of her voice with feelings of lower self-worth.

“What?” Crow raised his eyebrow at Hanako, “It’s true!”

“Well, you could’ve at least ay it so it doesn’t sound like an insult!”

“You remember my duel with Ghost, right?” Yusei just said, ignoring the tension between Hanako and Crow, because he wanted to move attention away from Crow's salty jokes.

“Your duel with Ghost?” Crow suddenly looked at Yusei, forgetting about Hanako’s words, as he started remembering the duel Yusei was talking about.

“Synchro Prevention, huh?” Jack asked, remembering the duel between Ghost and Yusei.

“Saviour Star Dragon bailed me out then”, Yusei started, “But if Ghost shows up again, I'm not confident I'll win…”

Hanako was listening their conversation closely, murmuring in her thoughts _, “So this is what has been bothering you…”_

“That's why I want to find a way to fight without using Synchro Summoning!”

“Yusei”, Crow whispered worriedly, knowing how it must be hard for Yusei to struggle like that, while Hanako kept her eyes locked on Yusei’s facial expressions.

“Fine, then!” Jack shouted, as he grabbed the staircase and jumped over it, landing perfectly right in front of Yusei's eyes, “I'll face you!” He crossed his hands, “However, there will be no holding back!”

“Alright!” Yusei nodded.

“Whoa, whoa! Wait a second!” Hanako waved with her hands, but no one paid attention to her.

“Alright, I'll tag along!” Crow placed down the card box for delivering and ran to his runner while shouting excitedly, as he was getting ready to drive off, so Jack and Yusei soon joined him, starting their engines, but just after few moments have passed, Crow realised Hanako was nowhere near them, so he turned around to look out for her, “Baby, you're not coming with us?”

“You guys just have fun”, Hanako murmured with a soft smile, placing bolts in her hands some place safe, “I got a lot of work to do”, she explained, so all three of them nodded and exited the garage, leaving her all alone.

“What’s wrong with her?!” Crow rolled his eyes, while they were on their way to duelling lane.

“What do you mean?” Jack was confused.

“She is different somehow”, Crow murmured, “I don't know how to explain it, but it's just the feeling I'm getting…”

“I think you are over thinking things, Crow!” Jack said coldly.

“I'm not so sure about it”, Crow murmured, “Have you seen her lately?”

“Just leave it, Crow!” Jack added, “Let's focus on the duel!”

“I think Crow is right, Jack”, Yusei suddenly said, looking at his runner's screen, seeing Jack and Crow, “She does seem different lately…”

“See?” Crow smiled, proud of himself for not being the only one to notice Hanako's strange behaviour.

“I've been thinking about it lately, Jack”, Yusei explained, “And Crow might be right about Baby”, Yusei was trying to hide worry in his voice.

“So… Any ideas?” Jack looked at both of them through screen.

“Nope!” Crow shook his head, “I don't even know what's bothering her!”

“Maybe we should focus on the duel first and deal with that later!” Yusei came up with the idea.

“Yeah!” Crow agreed, “We can try talking to her later when we finish with this!”

“Perfect! Let's do this!” Jack shouted happily, activating the Speed World II and starting the duel with Yusei...

*** * ***

Once they boys have left her alone in the garage, Hanako kept working hard on the new engine, but as time was passing by, she was really getting tired.

“I wish Yusei would stop worrying about W.R.G.P.” She murmured to herself, “If only I could help them more…” Hanako moved her look away from the engine, focusing on the entrance into the garage, as her thoughts started wondering around like little kids on the playground, when suddenly her D-Wheel started ringing, so she pulled herself together and answered the call.

“Still working hard, Baby?” Hanako saw Crow's huge smile on the screen.

“You bet I am!” She tried to smile, just to hide her feelings from Crow, “How did it go?”

“Not good... Jack called it quits!”

“Why am I not surprised?” Hanako let a sigh.

“Yeah, Yusei couldn't do much and it looks like Jack was triggered by lack of power from Yusei’s side…”

“More like a lack of challenge!” Hanako rolled her eyes through giggling, which made Crow look at Yusei, who was sitting on his runner right across Crow.

“Watch your mouth, Baby!” Crow scolded, while looking at Yusei’s reaction, “You know Yusei can hear you!”

“I don't care... The way he is now, he is not able to beat even my ass, not talking about Jack, you or even _Ghost_!” She mentioned Ghost on purpose, knowing she will trigger Yusei to think about his actions more carefully. Crow focused on Yusei, seeing his eyes widen, while he was shivering, clenching his fists and holding his D-Wheel holders firmly in his hands.

“Well, you sure triggered what you wanted!” Crow shook his head, while looking at the screen.

“Leave her, Crow!” Yusei finally answered, “She's right abou-” He suddenly stopped, turning quickly around, as he was feeling like he's being watched.

“What's wrong, pal?” Crow blinked few times in confusion, while Hanako was trying to realise what was going on on the other side of the screen.

“Nothing...” Yusei murmured.

“Well, Baby”, Crow moved his eyes to the screen again, “We are coming back home”.

“Sure!” Hanako pulled herself together, “See you soon!”

“Hey, don’t forget about that W.R.G.P. Premium Event tonight!”

“Crow”, Hanako murmured, “I forgot about it… Is it tonight?”

“Yeah! See you soon, and then we’ll talk it all out!” Crow smiled, turning the screen off, before Hanako managed to show him a small smile.

“Well… That was fast…” Murmured Hanako after Crow hung up, “Now back to work!” She said slowly and silently, moving to the prototype Yusei created for testing the engine, not even realising how time was flying by…

“Man, I'm hungry!” Crow's voice started breaking through the garage, as he and Yusei entered, “This entire no synchro duelling thing made me starving!”

“Crow, you weren't even duelling!” Hanako smiled while rolling her eyes.

“I was so into it that you can almost say I duelled!”

“Sure, sure!” Hanako murmured indifferently, “And Jack is not with you?”

“No, he's not here? He drove off, I thought he went straight back home”, Crow explained.

“Well... You're the first one to enter here”, Hanako answered.

“Maybe he went to that café again”, Crow hissed. Only thinking about Jack spending all their money on coffee again made him angry.

“Maybe so”, Hanako agreed, seeing Yusei's beaten face, “And what happened to you?”

“He has problems with low self-esteem”, Crow joked, wanting to cheer Yusei up, but his words only made it all worse. Yusei sharpened the look in his eyes, pointing them at Crow, before moving away from the garage, straight to his room.

“Maybe we should leave him for a while, Crow”, Hanako whispered, as her eyes were tracing Yusei’s movements.

“Yeah”, Crow murmured, “Maybe that Premium Event will cheer him up!”

“Oh, about that...” Hanako started, remembering it was tonight, “I'm not going…”

“You're what?!” Yusei suddenly stopped, turning around to meet Hanako's gaze.

“Oh, now you're interested in our conversation?” She raised one eyebrow at Yusei with a smirk, wanting to see his reaction, but he just bowed his head.

“Never mind!” He continued walking to his room.

“Stop it right there!” Hanako shouted all of a sudden, surprising both Crow and Yusei, “Turn around and look at me!”

At Crow's surprise, instead of just ignoring her, Yusei clenched his fists and did as she said, making Crow feel like a third wheel around them, “You know what? I'm gonna grab something to eat”, he gulped, pointing to the kitchen.

“Dinner is in the oven”, Hanako smiled, watching Crow leave, leaving nothing but silence in the garage after Hanako and Yusei were left all alone.

Hanako let a sigh, seeing Yusei standing helplessly on the staircase, “So...?” She looked at him, hoping that he will speak it up, but nothing happened. He just kept looking at the floor, so she approached him, leaning lower to meet his gaze, “Are you in there somewhere?”

Yusei blinked few times, before raising his head, “Sorry…”

“Stop apologising for something that is not your fault, Yusei!”

“Sorry…”

“There you go again!” She crossed her hands, but he was still silent, with no will to talk, “Now”, she said, looking him straight into the eyes, “What's the big deal of me not wanting to go to the Premium Event?”

“There is none”, Yusei finally murmured, “I just thought you would be thrilled about it, since...”

“Since what?”

“Since you are a D-Wheeler like us, so it would be only natural for you to want to go with us…”

“True”, Hanako smiled, “But I'll be more useful if I stay here and work on the engine, than go there and just try to be pretty”, she added, moving strand of her hair away from her face.

“You don't have to try at all”, Yusei suddenly murmured, gazing deep into Hanako's eyes, gently rubbing away a stain of oil from her chin.

“What do you mean?” Hanako whispered, feeling her cheeks burning from Yusei's closeness, as she kept her head down, looking up to see his face staring at her.

“You already are pretty”, he pulled her face closer to his. To him, it felt like he could sense the beating of Hanako’s heart through the collision of their breaths.

“Yusei”, Hanako whispered, looking back at him, feeling lost in the royal blueness of his eyes, “Maybe we should...”

“What?”

“Leave this... For some...” She kept whispering, slowly closing her eyes, “Other time...”

“And what if there will be no more time, Baby?”

Hanako looked at Yusei's lips, gently biting her lower lip, “Then we should...” She gently placed her hands on Yusei's chest, letting him pull her even closer to his face, feeling her nose touching his.

Yusei smiled at the adorable blush on Hanako's face, not even thinking about what he was doing. The feeling he got from her being around him always made him never want to let her go from his arms, “We should what?” Yusei whispered to her, leaning his forehead onto hers.

“We should...” Hanako’s breathing was shortened and she could feel her own heart jumping inside of her chest like it was about to break through her skin, “You and I...”

“Yusei!” Jack ran into the garage, shouting Yusei's names at the top of his lungs. Yusei stepped away from Hanako, as she moved her look away, playing shyly with her braided hair.

“What is it, Jack?”

“The duel is only about power!” He shouted proudly, “There is no way to beat Ghost without using Synchro Summon!”

“You're wrong, Jack!” Yusei said calmly, “There must be another way!”

“There certainly is no other way to fight!”

“And what if there is?” Hanako interrupted.

“Stay outta this, Baby!” Jack scolded her, so Crow ran from the kitchen to save the situation.

“Jack, you idiot!” Crow shouted, “Stop shouting like that I can't eat in peace!”

“You too stay outta this, Crow!”

“What did you say?” Crow got angry, “Hanako is right! She is not using Synchro Summon when she duels regularly, so there must be another way to fight!”

“True”, Yusei nodded, “We just have to figure it out!”

“And when you were going to figure it out? W.R.G.P. is right around the corner!” Jack’s words made Yusei remember how little time they had, so he just moved the look away, feeling helpless, as he had no idea what to do, so Hanako decided to jump in.

“Stop shouting, Jack! We will solve nothing if you keep this up!” Hanako said coldly, “We will figure something out. Maybe this Premium Event will give you ideas!”

“Oh, I almost forgot about it”, Jack calmed himself down.

“See?” Crow smiled, “We should go and have some fun. We will think about new strategy tomorrow!”

“Maybe you're right!” Jack smiled, “So... Gotta prepare for the great event!”

“Yeah!” Crow said proudly, looking at Hanako, “Still not going?”

Hanako shook her head, “I feel better being here alone, than going there and being surrounded by people…”

“Are you scared of other people?” Jack blinked few times.

“I'm not scared”, Hanako pouted her lips, crossing her hands with a blush on her face, as she sat on the floor, “It drains too much of my energy, that's all...”

“Don't push her”, Yusei suddenly joined the conversation.

“But Yusei”, Crow started, “All of the greatest D-Wheelers will be there!”

“Exactly!” Hanako pointed out, “D-Wheelers, not D-Wheels!”

“She doesn't have to go with us. We are the only three invited, so there is no harm in her staying here”, Yusei added in the end, having both Crow and Jack agree with him, before they left her all alone again and went to the W.R.G.P. Premium Event.

*** * ***

“I don’t believe it!” Hanako shouted angrily, while she was driving through the streets of Neo Domino City, “One time I decide not to go with them and something this thrilling has to happen!” She was scolding herself, feeling sad and frustrated, because she thought she won’t be able to reach the W.R.G.P. Premium Event in time, but as she started approaching the building, she kept hoping she is going to make it and as soon as she reached the garage below the building, she realised she wasn’t alone, “Huh?”

“Baby?” The stranger murmured to himself, but yet loud enough for Hanako to hear it.

“Who are you?” Hanako roughly stopped her runner before the strange man, “And how do you know my name?” She looked at the guy; he was dressed in a duelling suit and was wearing glasses, very similar to those she has attached to her helmet. His suit was dusty blue and he was pretty tall. Almost as tall as Jack, so she had to look up to meet his eyes, but he was hiding behind the visor.

“I’m just someone who wants to help”, the stranger answered.

“To help?” Hanako murmured in confusion, “With what?”

“With Yusei!”

“Yusei?” Hanako’s body started to shiver at the thought of Yusei, as she was trying to scan the vibration from the stranger and feel emotions coming from him, but it was useless. He was so cold and mysterious, like he wasn’t human at all and his aura was not visible. _“What in the lifting jack!”_ Hanako thought to herself, _“I can’t sense anything alive from within him…”_

“Don’t worry about it!” The stranger said like he read her thoughts, “I’m on your side!”

“Simple sentence won’t convince me”, Hanako gathered her posture and sharpened her voice, because she didn’t want to show how scared she was at the moment, but just before their strange meeting continued, Hanako saw Crow, Jack, Yusei, Aki, Rua and Ruka running towards her. She smiled for a second, but just before she was able to say something, the stranger jumped in front of them, stopping them in reaching their runners.

“What's the big deal, jumping out?!” Crow shouted angrily, “Watch where you're going!”

Rua blinked few times to realise what was going on, before he asked, “Who’s he?”

“Apparently a friend”, Hanako answered with slice of irritation in her voice.

“Baby?” Ruka smiled, seeing Hanako in the underground garage.

“So she made it in time”, Jack just murmured with serious look on his face, making Hanako nod in agreement, so everyone started running towards her; everyone but Yusei! The stranger approached him, blocking the way and preventing Yusei from moving away with others, but it wasn’t long before Hanako realised he was staring at Yusei in a weird way, making Yusei tremble, like he remembered something or like he already faced this guy before.

“Let's go, Yusei!” Jack suddenly shouted looking over his shoulder at Yusei, so he snapped out of his fears and moved away from the strange duellist.

“You'd be wasting your time!” They suddenly heard strange voice behind them, “Even if you leave now, the duel is already over!” The stranger added, looking at them, as they stopped their action, paying attention to him, “Even if it's not over, Yusei... In your current state, you can't defeat Ghost!”

Hanako immediately looked at Yusei, but he showed no signs of fear or reactions she was expecting, “Yusei?” She managed to whisper slowly, feeling strange energy between Yusei and this strange guy, like they met before, but her thoughts were interrupted by stranger’s voice once again.

“Unless you overcome your limits!”

“My limits?” Yusei asked in confusion.

“I told you already!” Hanako shouted angrily, “Only words won’t convince me!”

“That's the only way to defeat him!” The stranger answered to her.

“How dare you show up and act so superior?!” Crow stood in front of Yusei, facing the stranger eye to eye, but Yusei kept looking the stranger into the eyes, like he saw something in them.

“What do you mean?” He was curious in what this stranger has to say.

“Come with me. Instead of telling you, it's quicker if you experience it!” The stranger said.

“Still not convinced!” Hanako crossed her arms, but the stranger just kept talking, like he had all his words already prepared.

“I'll teach you a new strategy that you know nothing about!”

“I want you to show it to me!”

“You can't be serious!” Crow shouted angrily, but then Hanako gestured to Crow to stop with his words.

“Just leave them be”, she looked at Crow and then at Jack, trying to get their approval for letting Yusei go and it didn’t last long, before they both nodded in agreement.

“Let’s go, guys!” Aki said, placing her hands on Rua and Ruka’s shoulders, taking them to the lift, “We will be watching you from the building”, she added, before they disappeared from the sight.

“OK!” Crow said, “Let’s get going!” He revved his engine, climbing to the top of the building, as Jack followed him behind.

Hanako prepared her runner for driving away with them, but then suddenly stopped and moved her head over her shoulder to see Yusei, after she put her helmet on, “Take care, Wonderboy”, she murmured to herself, watching Yusei exit the underground garage with the stranger.

As soon as they reached the top balcony where Aki was waiting with the Twins, she started shouting angrily, “We're letting him leave?” She started panicking about the entire situation, “It might be a trap to draw out Yusei!”

“Maybe so”, Crow said while getting off of his runner, as he parked his Blackbird close to Aki.

“Then why?!” Aki shouted at Crow, as he was removing his helmet like nothing happened.

Aki’s stranger behaviour made Hanako think more deeply about it. She was acting strange lately and if Hanako’s theory was right, it all started after she saw Yusei's duel with Sherry. There is probably something that made Aki look at Yusei differently or she realised something she did not know before, _“Could it be that Aki…?”_ Hanako thought, but only thinking about it made her body tremble, so she just shook her head, like she was trying to shake off those thoughts of hers.

“Yusei sensed something within him!” Crow approached the fence and looked at the duelling lane where Yusei was about to start his duel with this strange man, “Something that unites them because they're both D-Wheelers!”

“Because they are both D-Wheelers?” Aki’s eyes widened.

Hanako looked at her, murmuring to herself, so no one can hear her, “There she goes again...”

Aki’s worried facial expression and her slightly jealous reaction made Rua want to cheer her up, “It'll be fine, Aki! You don't have to worry about Yusei!” He smiled, making Aki snap out of her thoughts, but she was still not convinced.

“Yusei knows what he's doing!” Hanako decided to show a bright smile to Aki, hoping that she will be able to change Aki’s worry into something less painful, “Why don't we just enjoy this duel as much as him and support his decision?”

Everyone looked at her and nodded, so Rua smiled once again, “They're going to duel!”

“I'll watch closely to see how your duelling can defeat Ghost!” Jack said coldly, keeping his hands crossed, while he kept his eyes locked on Yusei and his rival below on the duelling lane.

“Let's start with a test!” The stranger said with a smile, revving his engine and escaping Yusei in a second, before Yusei even managed to realise what was going on.

“What do you mean?”

“He's not going to duel?” Crow was shocked, not believing his own eyes at the incredible speed of this strange guy’s runner.

“He's increasing his speed... but why?” Hanako asked, looking at the duelling lane, thinking about what is the main point of all of this, _“It looks like he is testing Yusei's speed limit. Limit? Could that be it? Let's see if Yusei can follow...?”_ She kept looking at them both, as Yusei started increasing his speed, following mysterious man shortly behind.

“What's he thinking?” Jack was angry, because there was no sign of duelling, “He's not going to duel?”

Hanako was just watching them turn corner by corner at even higher speed, “He drove through the turn perfectly at high speed!” Suddenly, the stranger increased his speed even more, making it through another turn, making Jack and Crow's eyes wide open, “Amazing!” Hanako shouted in awe.

“He drove through that curb at high speed!” Crow’s jaw almost dropped, as he kept looking at Yusei trying to follow the speed, but as soon as he reached the corner, he lost his balance and had to slow down.

“Yusei!” Aki shouted worriedly, but Yusei just followed stranger's speed, making consecutive turns in high speed, while his hands were trembling like he was struggling with making it through.

“C'mon, Yusei!” Hanako hissed through a whisper, “Why are you afraid of the speed?” But after a while, with a lot of effort, Yusei made it through.

“He did it!” Rua cheered on, as the duel between Yusei and the mysterious challenger began.

Crow saw the look in Aki’s eyes and he felt like he could almost feel what she was feeling, “Don't worry, Aki!” He got the need to calm her down, “This is Yusei we're dealing with! He can do anything!” She looked at Crow's smile, as she suddenly believed his words and smiled back at him, so he turned the screen on his Blackbird on in order for everyone to watch the dule, “Here, we can watch the duel from the screen, since they are already far away from the spot!”

Rua and Ruka immediately looked into the screen, seeing the stranger summon some strange monster to the field, so Jack became curious, “He already summoned a Tuner Monster! He must be planning to Synchro Summon!”

“I wonder what kind of a special strategy he will pull out to show to Yusei!” Hanako added.

“Maybe he is just showing off!” Jack assumed, but Hanako disagreed.

“I don't think so!”

“You sensed something in him?”

“You can say it that way too”, she said with a serious look on her face, before murmuring to herself only, “That man has no vibrant energy around him, his aura is not visible, it's like he is not a human being, so there is nothing to sense inside of him, but again... It's a whole new world of duelling secretly hidden inside him!” She looked at the screen to pay attention to the duel. Stranger already had 2 monsters summoned to the field, Tech Genus Striker (ATK 800 / DEF 0) and Tech Genus Warwolf (ATK 1 200 / DEF 0), so he was able to tune his monsters.

“Synchro Summon!” Stranger exclaimed, “Appear, Tech Genus Power Gladiator (ATK 2 300 / DEF 1 000)!”

“I gotta feeling that the show begins now”, Hanako said.

“Next, I summon the Tuner Monster, Tech Genus Cyber Magician (ATK 0 / DEF 0)!”

"Is he planning to Synchro Summon twice in one turn?” Crow was shocked.

“Looks like it!” Hanako said, “That Magician allows him to perform Synchro Summon from his hand…”

“Synchro Summon from hand?!” Rua was shocked, as his eyes widened, while looking at Hanako.

“Just watch”, Hanako winked at him with a smile, moving back to the screen.

“Appear now, Tech Genus Wonder Magician (ATK 1 900 / DEF 0)!” Stranger shouted, performing his second Synchro Summoning this turn, “Here I go, Yusei! Tech Genus Power Gladiator attacks Tricular (ATK 300 / DEF 300) and you take piercing damage!” Yusei’s Life Points drastically dropped from 4 000 to 2 000 after the attack, as he lost the balance and had a hard time going through the attack, “What's wrong, Yusei? You're wobbling!”

Yusei looked at the stranger, but without any comments just continued with his attack, “When Tricular is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon Bicular (ATK 200 / DEF 200) from my deck!”

“Tech Genus Wonder Magician attacks Bicular!” Stranger continued with his attack.

“When Bicular is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon Unicyclar (ATK 100 / DEF 100) from my deck!”

“I end my turn!” The stranger said after Yusei’s summon, but he seemed spacing out, not even realising how deep he was dug into his thoughts, so stranger decided to shake him a little, “What's wrong Yusei? It's your turn!”

“My turn!” Yusei said drawing a card, “I play Speed Spell - Synchro Defuse! When I have 3 or more Speed Counters, I gain control of one Synchro Monster on your field until the End Phase!”

“Control a Synchro Monster?” Jack said with curious look on his face.

“I get it!” Crow smiled widely, “He can use that effect to recreate the same situation when Ghost absorbed his Synchro Monster!”

“I gain control of Power Gladiator!” Yusei shouted, but Stranger just revved his engine, escaping from Yusei at high speed.

“What's he doing?!” Jack grabbed the screen of Blackbird and leaned towards it in disbelief.

“I have no idea!” Hanako shouted, feeling like something great was about to happen, but just when she wanted to look at the screen with Jack, a flash of bright light started shining through the screen and everyone had to close their eyes, unable to keep the track of the duel. Even though the light didn’t last long, the screen on the Blackbird was completely dead, so Crow started pushing some buttons around it to fix the problem.

“You can't fix it, Crow”, Hanako said, “The electricity was cut!”

“Leave me do my thing!”

“Fine”, Hanako shrugged and just before she thought they will not be able to see the duel, Crow started shouting happily.

“The monitor is working again!”

Everyone looked at the screen, seeing the field with monsters that they missed seeing being summoned and Yusei’s Life Points caught Rua’s attention, “Yusei's LP is down to 1 100!”

“And what's that monster?!” Jack said.

Hanako looked at the field, Yusei had Drill Warrior (ATK 2 400 / DEF 2 00) Synchro Summoned, while his opponent had a new monster probably Synchro Summoned to the field, so Hanako searched through her database to find it, but there was no information on how to summon that kind of a card, “Blade Blaster (ATK 3 300 / DEF 2 200)”, she murmured, so everyone looked at her, “Tech Genus Blade Blaster is the name of the card, but there is no history on how to summon it”, she explained while looking at her visor’s database, “But it looks like my database seems to lack knowledge about it…” She moved her eyes to the duelling field: it was Yusei’s turn.

“I activate Speed Spell - Speed Energy!” Yusei said after drawing a card, “Drill Warrior gains attack points equal to the number of Speed Counters multiplied by 200!” He shouted, “Next, I summon Gauntlet Warrior (ATK 400 / DEF 1 600)! By releasing this card, Warrior-type monsters on my field gain 500 attack points!”

“Perfect!” Hanako shouted happily, “Now Drill Warrior's ATK will increase to 3 700, which is higher than Blade Blaster!”

Rua and Ruka smiled brightly at Hanako’s words, as both of them kept their eyes locked onto the duelling field, but then stranger did something unexpected, “I activate my monster's effect! Once per opponent's turn, Tech Genus Blade Blaster can be removed from play!”

“What?!” Yusei’s eyes widened, as his attack went through directly, decreasing stranger’s Life Points from 2 800 to 0!

“He sacrificed his life points to protect his monster?” Crow raised his eyebrows in disbelief, having a hard time to believe that the duel was already over, so they all decided to go down and meet with Yusei.

“Wait, guys!” Ruka said worriedly, stopping everyone from going away, “Where did Baby go?”

“She can't be that fast!” Crow looked around, realising Hanako was already down on the duelling lane, driving her runner.

“You know her very well and yet you are still surprised!” Jack smiled, seeing Hanako’s runner approaching Yusei’s in the distance. She was already there, watching the stranger leave dust behind him, as he drove him off like nothing happened.

Hanako approached Yusei, hearing him talking to himself.

“I will pass my own limits!”

Hanako giggled at his words, but then something strange caught her eye, it was a small bolt lying on the ground, right next to Yusei’s feet, so she picked it up, “Well, hello there little guy!” She smiled brightly, realising Yusei was looking at her with confused look on his face. “Look what I found”, she said happily, showing him the bolt.

“Another bolt?”

“And we might have the answer from whom it was coming from”, she looked at the distance, to the same direction the stranger disappeared from her sight.

“Do you think they are related?”

“Have no idea, but we are soon to find out!”

“Yeah”, Yusei murmured, looking at the same direction as Hanako, seeing only long road before his eyes, the road with no beginning and no end… Long distance he yet had to cross in order to improve his skills and to surpass his own limits – to find his own way to Accel Synchro!


	25. Let's Call It a Date

19th Chapter

(following anime episode 75)

**Let's call it a date**

It was another early morning in Neo Domino City and Yusei was gathering some stuff in the garage, placing everything on the pile, when Hanako ran down the stairs, seeing him turn the entire garage upside down.

“What is going on here?” She murmured, not knowing what hit his head.

“I’m building a D-Wheel”, he answered, still concentrated on reorganising the stuff.

To Hanako, it looked like he started thinking about something that was closely connected to this new D-Wheel building thing, so she became curious, “What for?” She kept looking at him, wanting to know what he was thinking about.

“Aki asked me to go out with her”, he said, not even moving his look away from the pile of materials, but then he added, “You know”, realising how it sounded like it was a thing, “For a walk to talk to me…”

Hanako didn’t seem to be surprised by his words, “Talk to you about what?”

“The world I see in Riding Duel. The world I feel”, he answered raising his head up to see Hanako.

“So I guess she’s up for her licence?” Hanako raised an eyebrow, making Yusei nod.

“That’s why I want you to help me build a D-Wheel for her!”

“I see”, she murmured, looking at Yusei like she was not sure about the idea, but then she suddenly smiled brightly, “OK! Let’s do this!” She shouted happily, jumping towards him, ready to start with their work.

Her actions surprised Yusei at first, as he thought she wouldn’t be happy about the idea, but then he just smiled back getting back to the spare parts pile, “Thank you, Baby!” He took few materials from the pile, “I got this from Junkyard yesterday. It should be enough to make a simple runner for Aki to practice”, he explained, showing parts to Hanako.

Hanako blinked few times, exploring the pile with materials with a smile, “Just what we need!” She answered with a wink, checking everything that Yusei gathered. He was really determined to build this runner for Aki, which made her both happy and sad at the same time, but she didn’t know why and regardless of how she felt, she was ready to be there for him just like he was there for her, so she pulled herself together and started working on building a new runner out of scraps.

*** * ***

“All right”, Yusei smiled, getting the last part ready, “It’s all tuned up!” He said, looking at Crow and Jack, who came back home in the meantime.

“We did it!” Hanako smiled happily, cleaning her hands with a cloth, letting out a sigh of relief.

“You did great, Baby!” Yusei looked at Hanako, giving her a smile, when suddenly steps could be heard from the entrance into the garage, so all four of them moved their eyes to the staircase.

It was Aki. She was holding her helmet pressed between her left arm and her torso, wearing very tight and sexy red-black leather outfit, making all three of the guys stare at her in awe, but Hanako couldn’t help but feel slice of jealousy cutting through her soul like a paper cut, so she tried to kill it with a smile, “Way to go, girl!”

“Lookin’ sharp!” Crow shouted excitedly after he whistled at Aki’s appearance.

“You are what you wear, they say”, Jack added, making Aki’s face turn slightly red, as the colour of her cheeks blended perfectly with her outfit.

“I don’t look like myself”, she managed to murmur, looking away.

“Well… It suits you, doesn’t it?” Yusei smiled.

“Yup!” Hanako added, still trying to hide her jealousy, “You’re looking like a real D-Wheeler right now!” She watched Aki getting down, approaching her and Yusei, while looking at the runner that was parked between them. It sure was something she has never seen before, so it caught her eye.

“Hanako and I built it out of parts I got from a friend’s junkyard”, Yusei explained, seeing Aki’s surprised and yet curious face, “It should manage fine if you’re using it to practice!”

“Thank you, Yusei!” Aki’s eyes started glowing like she was about to cry, “I’m going to use it to get my Riding Duel Licence!”

“All right, then! What are we waiting for?!?” Hanako shouted happily, kicking her fists into the air, making Aki, Jack and Yusei nod with a smile, but Crow was left suspicious of her actions. He knew something was not right about her and he promised to himself that he will find out what it was. He studied Hanako’s facial expressions and somehow could sense the sadness inside her soul and pure disappointment in her eyes, but just when he started thinking about the reasons behind it, he became conscious about his friends that were around him.

“To get your licence, you will have to pass your written exam and riding exam”, Yusei said, wanting for Aki to do her best, “At the very end, there will be a duel that you have to win in order to pass”, he finished, while he kept serious look on his face like he usually does.

“I am prepared!” Aki said with determination in her voice, “At the Duel Academy, we have a course for Riding Duel!”

“Then you know the drill”, Hanako added, crossing her hands, while looking at Aki nodding happily.

“Perfect!” Crow smiled, still carefully studying Hanako’s reactions, “Then we will be there to cheer for you!” He winked at Aki, but felt something strange happening with his body; it was like his cheeks were getting warmer when Aki smiled back at him to show her appreciation, but Crow being Crow, he just smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck, what made Hanako giggled at the scene, since she has never seen Crow like that before.

“All right, guys”, Hanako murmured, “We should take this baby for a test ride!” Hanako suddenly shouted, still keeping a small smile on her face.

“I agree”, Yusei added while looking at Aki, “There is a hard and tough week before you, so we should prepare you for what’s coming!”

“You’re right”, Aki agreed, getting on her runner, so Yusei started explaining her basic commands and how to start the engine. Her face was shining bright, as she couldn’t hide the joy and excitement away, while Jack, Crow and Hanako were watching her and Yusei from distance.

“She sure is excited about this”, Crow murmured with a smirk, “It’s nice to see a girl being interested in Riding Duel for a change...”

“Watch your mouth!” Hanako kicked Crow’s arm with her elbow, feeling ignored and forgotten, now that Aki was at the centre of everyone’s attention.

“Well”, Jack sighed, “Looks like she is more interested in Yusei than in Riding Duel!”

His words made Hanako turn her head towards him, as her eyes widened in surprise, “Thanks for sharing the thought, Jack!”

“So it caught your eye, too?” Jack was left surprised.

“More like it caught her heart!” Crow joked through laughter.

“Very funny, Crow!” Hanako pouted her lips through a soft blush, moving away from them, because she wanted to go with Yusei and Aki for a ride. She stepped closer to them, so Yusei looked at her, but then Hanako realised Crow and Jack were left far behind her. Turning her back around, she blinked few times in confusion, “You two are not coming with us?”

“Nah!” Crow said, “We have some stuff to do!”

“We do?” Jack looked at him with the same amount of confusion Hanako had seconds ago.

“Yeah”, Crow elbowed Jack’s forearm, “You promised to help me, remember?” He said, winking at Jack carefully, so that no one can see it.

“Ah, sure”, Jack tried to pull Crow’s bluff, “Right, right... Let’s do it!”

“Fine then”, Hanako just said indifferently, not caring for what they had in mind.

“So, ladies, shall we?” Yusei smiled to both Aki and Hanako and while she just nodded, Aki was not prepared for a ride just yet.

“I should call Rua and Ruka first”, she said excitedly, “They said they wanted to watch!”

“OK”, Yusei agreed, “You go! Hanako and I will catch up later”, he added, handing Hanako her helmet, so she just gave him a small smile, took her helmet and put it on, knowing Yusei must have planned for them to stop somewhere on their way to the driving arena.

*** * ***

Aki was already all set up and waiting for her turn to show off her skills while Riding Duel. She had to attend classes and have her driving practices the whole week before she was able to apply for her licence. Rua and Ruka were with her, cheering and rooting for her, waiting for Yusei to come, because Aki told them Yusei promised he would be there.

“Aki is about to start”, Ruka said worriedly.

“Is something wrong about that?” Rua asked, looking at his twin sister.

“No”, she murmured, “I’m just wondering where Yusei is... He promised to be here with us!”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be here before I even finish with my-“

“Guys!” Rua had to stop in the middle of the sentence, because he heard Hanako shouting, so both he and his sister turned to the direction Hanako’s voice was coming from. Rua and Ruka were standing in the audience, when Hanako ran towards them, moving away from Yusei, who was watching her back.

“Baby!” Rua and Ruka smiled in unison, but someone else’s voice caught Hanako’s attention, so she looked at the practice arena.

“Wrong! Drive like that damn slow and you’ll get rear-ended!” The instructor started shouting with his wooden stick, calling out another candidate.

“They’re at it, huh?” Yusei said, approaching the twins.

“It looks like they already started”, Hanako said with a smile, getting one from Yusei in return, as he moved closer to her to watch Aki’s performance when suddenly instructor shouted again.

“Next!” The instructor shouted again, so Aki got ready to show off her skills.

“Where were you guys so far?” Ruka asked like she was irritated by their absence.

“We had to drop something on our way here”, Yusei explained, not wanting to get into much details even thought he knew Ruka won’t be pleased with his explanation, but hopefully for him, Rua was so loud when cheering for Aki that Ruka didn’t even had a chance to complain.

“Good luck, Big Sis Aki!” Rua pushed his right fist up in the air.

“You can do this!” Hanako shouted after Rua, wanting to make sure Aki knows she has friends by her side.

Aki revved her engine and accelerated properly; moving closer and closer to the edge, going straight into the right turn, but her speed kept increasing. The sound of her engine was awesome and great, so Hanako was proud of the D-Wheel that Yusei built with her help. It brought her to the past times when Yusei’s first D-Wheel was built by these same hands that built Aki’s practice runner. She kept daydreaming about it, slowly moving her eyes to Yusei, but he was focused on Aki’s driving skills. She saddened her face, knowing Aki was taking all of his time and affection these days, but then she blushed, realising Yusei looked back at her and smiled. Her staring caught his attentions, so he switched his eyes from Aki’s performance to Hanako’s sapphire eyes.

 _“Yusei”,_ Hanako whispered his name in her mind not wanting to break the sweet silence between them and there they were; just two of them looking at each other like they were having a conversation just by gazing at each other. Hanako tried to smile softly, but the sound of the practice runner drew Hanako’s attention, so she looked at Aki over Yusei’s shoulder. She shouted his name, only this time it wasn’t just in her thoughts, “Yusei, she won’t make-” She started, but Yusei already turned around to see where Aki was at.

“H-Hey!” He shouted, “You’re not going to make the turn!” But it was already too late. Aki’s increased speed shifted her runner from the course and she lost control over it. She crashed into a pile of boxes that were placed nearby for safety in case something like this happens.

The scene made Rua, Ruka and Hanako cover their eyes with their hands, while Yusei just shut his eyes and moved the look away for a second and as soon as the sound of crash disappeared, Hanako peeked through her fingers, “I guess she’s going to need a lot more than just verbal instructions!”

“Yeah”, Yusei opened his eyes, “What do you say we help her with that?”

“Sure!” Hanako smiled, grabbing the twins with her, as all four of them ran down to help Aki.

“Aki, are you OK?” Ruka shouted worriedly.

“Yeah”, Aki murmured, but her voice sounded like she was in pain, “I will stay here and practice some more!” She said, running towards her runner and preparing for the next round.

“Aki, wait!” Yusei shouted, but she was already on her way, so Hanako decided that it’s best to move from Aki’s way and watch her from a safe distance.

“Let’s move to the side, Yusei”, Hanako said, placing her hands on Rua and Ruka’s back, moving them away from the lane, but Yusei stayed there, watching Aki grab her runner and try again. He was almost like hypnotised, not believing how Aki was determined to learn Riding Duel just because of him, but soon he snapped out of it and approached Rua, Ruka and Hanako in the audience. They were watching Aki’s driving skills and how she tried to make through the turn again, but she leaned her runner while keeping her body stiff, so she crashed again.

“Aki!” Ruka shouted, wanting to approach her to see if she is all right, but Aki didn’t even notice them worrying about her; she was talking to herself.

“I get it. If I stick it out there a little longer and hit it in one shot, I might make the turn!” Aki murmured excitedly, grabbing the runner again, “Yeah, that’s it! That’s going to be it!”

“She’s totally in la-la land”, Rua whispered in disbelief.

“Yeah”, Hanako murmured, blinking her eyes in confusion, trying to understand the the true meaning behind Aki’s actions. She was so pumped about it, Hanako couldn’t believe her eyes, but no matter how hard she was trying, Aki kept falling over and over again, making her firends watch the same scene from one turn to another.

“You’re falling too much!” Yusei shouted, wanting to give her instructions, “Turn with your body!”

“You think she will be able to understand?” Hanako raised an eyebrow, watching Aki fall from the runner again, but Yusei just kept trying.

“You’re trying too hard!” He shouted so that Aki can hear him, but she fell again from her runner.

The sun was already setting and everyone was exhausted and tired from watching Aki constantly fall from her runner, but she just wouldn’t give up! After few more turns and falls, she drove over to Yusei, keeping smile on her face, “Yusei! I think I got the hang of it with that last one!”

“Mm-hm!” Yusei nodded, “Then, let’s make this the last run for today!”

Aki nodded happily, driving to the start line of the arena and accelerating properly, moving closer and closer to the turn where she kept falling off of her runner, “She finally has a good grip!” Hanako murmured to herself, feeling excited, “Now bump the acceleration, Aki!” She clenched her fists, hoping for the best and just then it was like a miracle happened; Aki managed to get throught the corner without a sweat! It was like she did exactly what Hanako murmured few seconds ago,

“Good going, Aki!” Yusei said proudly, caring a smile on his face.

*** * ***

“A turnback!?” Aki asked in confusion after she watched Yusei show her the trick of riding the D-Wheel backwards. She was able to pass her driving test after the practice, so there was only graduation-certification duel left for her before she could get her licence.

“I know it’s not a checked item in your lessons, but from my experience there’s this one thing I think you should commit to memory”, he explained to her after he drove closer to the team. Rua, Ruka and Hanako were also there, watching Yusei do his tricks with ease.

“Turnback is very helpful trick for any situation!” Hanako added happily, looking how Aki’s face was pale, like she was afraid to even try it.

“Yeah, if you master this, you can handle almost any situation”, Yusei agreed.

“I-I’ll give it a try”, Aki murmured not sure what to do, but just the first time she tried to turn back and balance her runner, she completely lost it and couldn’t make it through. She crashed again, falling down and looking completely lost, because this turnabck was way harder than she thought would be.

“Demonstration is one thing, Yusei”, Hanako murmured to him, not pleased with how he treated this situation, “But you should have at least explained it to her first!” She leaned her face onto the palm of her right hand, blocking her own view just so that she doesn’t have to watch Aki fall again like few days ago.

“You got a point there, let’s go!” Yusei suddenly shouted, grabbing Hanako by the hand and taking her to Aki.

“Go where?” Hanako was confused, following Yusei’s footsteps, while Rua and Ruka were running behind them.

“You’ll see”, Yusei just smiled, taking all of them to the mall near the arena.

*** * ***

Rua, Ruka and Hanako were close to the skating arena fencing, while Yusei was showing Aki how to roller-skate. They were standing in the middle of the rink, as Yusei was trying to show Aki some skating tricks for her to learn. He cruised around her, turning his back and skating backwards, moving his body like he was one with the wind, smoothly turning back to his original position, skating back to Aki, stopping the skated just before her eyes, but just when Aki started moving her skates, she lost her balance and fell on Yusei’s chest, making him grab her hands to keep her from falling.

“Do you girls feel like a Third Wheel here?” Rua asked, looking at Yusei and Aki.

“This is not a date!” Ruka protested, feeling a bit annoyed by her brother’s words.

“Yeah, I agree!” Hanako said with hesitation, trying to prove herself this wasn’t a real date, “Besides, Yusei brought Aki here to show her how to control the speed and transfer her balance properly!”

“What?!” Rua’s eyes widened, as he moved his eyes to Hanako, so she had to explain it to him.

“Roller-skating is perfect for demonstration! It's all about transferring your body weight from one leg to another in order to keep your balance!” She raised her head, moving her eyes from Rua to Yusei and Aki, who were now skating in sync, moving together around the arena. They were so close and the aura around them was so warm and cosy.

“Mood's pretty nice here...”

“Guess it really is a date”, Ruka murmured to her brother, not really wanting to confess he was right this time.

“C'mon, you two!” Hanako crossed her hands angrily, “You think Yusei would bring Aki on a date and bring us along?!” She was looking at the twins, but they kept gazing at Yusei and Aki like hypnotised, so Hanako shook her head, feeling irritated by the whole situation, “You know what, guys?! I'll get some stuff for the house while we're here. If I don't come back when this is all over, just go back home without me, OK?”

“Yeah, yeah, no problem”, Rua murmured indifferently, still watching Yusei and Aki skate and suddenly both him and his sister looked like they didn’t even notice Hanako’s presence.

“Like I care!” Hanako looked at the direction that were Ruka’s eyes pointing, seeing Yusei and Aki holding hands. She was really improving. From almost falling for a few times, she managed to catch the rhythm quite quickly, “Well... Either she is a good student or she has a great teacher”, she murmured to herself, leaving the twins alone to watch Yusei and Aki in peace. She wanted to be alone, far away from that sight, just so that it doesn’t hurt so much. She started moving fast, hoping the pain inside her heart will go away if she runs away from the scene, but it was just getting worse, “Why am I feeling this way?” She whispered to herself, feeling tears gathering in her eyes, “Yusei sees me as a friend and nothing more... Then why?” She looked at her reflection in the shop-window she was passing by, “Could it be that I am jealous?”

Hanako realised a single tear rolled down her cheek, so she wiped it away with her fingers, as she took a deep breath. It was too reckless of her to think Yusei would fall for her. After so many years they have been friends, if he loved her, he would have already fallen in love with her, but it was not the case. She was exploring the mall to see if she can find something interesting, but nothing caught her attention. She was looking for some ways to distract her thoughts from daydreaming about Yusei, wanting to do something fun, something she loved, but out of all things she loved, shopping was not on the list, so she decided to go back home. No one is going to look out for her anyway!

After Hanako took her runner and drove off, straight back to Poppo Time’s garage, she was all alone again, since no one was home. It was silent and deserted, but it was the mood she liked the most, when she felt bad; when she wanted to think about everything that happened, but soon she heard Jack and Crow’s voice coming from outside of the garage.

“I told you, it’s a because of Yusei!” Crow’s voice shouted, like he was trying to convince Jack that his doubts were true.

“Well... Now that you say it like that, it makes sense!” Jack agreed, walking inside, seeing Hanako near her runner, like she just got back home.

“I’m tellin’ ya!” Crow kept blabbering even though Jack tried to gesture him to shut his mouth, “Something is going on between the two of them!”

“Oh, so you know about it?” Hanako’s voice was cold and angry. She suddenly felt like everyone knew about something that was going on between Aki and Yusei; leaving her being the only one that had no idea about it.

“Baby?” Crow gulped, feeling sweat popping out of his skin, making his forehead to slightly shimmer.

“I can’t believe you were hiding the truth from me!” Hanako raised her voice even more.

“Me?” Crow pointed his thumb to his chest, “I should be the one saying the same thing to you!” He started shouting out of frustration, feeling the tension between him and Hanako growing stronger.

“And how was I supposed to know what was in Yusei’s heart, huh?!” She answered, waving with her hands dramatically, as tears started falling down her face.

“Baby, calm down”, Jack said strictly, but with affection in his proud voice.

“Stay away from this, Jack!” Hanako shouted, “This is between me and Crow!”

“Oh, c’mon!” Crow rolled his eyes, “Are we really going to argue about this?”

“You started it!”

“Baby”, Crow let a sigh not knowing how to deal with Hanako’s behaviour, “Why don’t you calm down first and then we can talk?”

“You guys are all the same!” She just answered, disappearing from their sight, as she ran away from the garage, somewhere up to Yusei’s room.

“Look what you’ve done!” Jack shouted, piercing Crow’s eyes with his.

“I know, I know....”

“Now go there and apologise to her”, Jack pointed his finger to the direction Hanako fled.

“Right!” Crow threw the stuff he brought with him on the floor and walked upstairs to look for Hanako, but she wasn’t in any of the rooms, so Crow knew exactly where she went.

Climbing up the stairs, straight to the roof of Poppo Time house, Crow found Hanako sitting there, watching Neo Domino City, while only silence was surrounding her, but as Crow started approaching her, she heard bricks cracking under Crow’s boots, “Don’t come any closer!” She said strictly, not even turning her head to see who was behind her.

“At least let me explain...”

“You said what you had to... I don’t need your explanations!”

“I think we’re not thinking the same, Baby”, Crow finally said, hoping to get some attention from her.

“Well... I don’t give a screw about what you think I think you were thinking!”

“Wait, what?” Crow shook his head, because his brain started to hurt when he was trying to find sense in what Hanako just said.

“Never mind, you stupid head!” Hanako smirked softly, as she couldn’t hide the pleasure of arguing with Crow like this, so she turned her head to see his reaction to her insults.

“It’s been a while, since we argued like that”, he added, approaching her, as he sat down next to her and moved his eyes to enjoy the view.

“I almost forgot this feeling”, Hanako smiled.

“Yeah, me too”, Crow murmured, smiling at the thought, making Hanako look at him with her dreamy eyes, as she couldn’t stop her thoughts from going back to the past, remembering all those times she spent with Crow.

“Where have you guys been anyway?” She suddenly asked out of the blue.

“Collecting some stuff for Aki’s D-Wheel”, he answered, but just at the mentioning of her name, Hanako felt angered, frustrated and helpless.

“Aki’s D-Wheel?”

“Stop right there, before you kill me!” Crow moved his hand to Hanako, showing her his palm, “It was my idea, not Yusei’s”, he started explaining himself, “I thought it would be nice if we all worked together to leave a gift for Aki, so she can always remember all of us!”

“So it was your idea, huh?” Hanako giggled, seeing Crow’s cheeks slightly blushing.

“Ah, it’s just like a graduation gift, that’s all...”

“Right!” She answered, lightly kicking Crow’s shoulder with her fist.

“Don’t look at me like that!”

“Sorry, I just couldn’t help it”, Hanako’s face suddenly saddened.

“Is something wrong?” Crow’s both eyebrows rose up.

Hanako was silent at first but figured out it's no use keeping secrets from Crow, “Yusei went on a date with Aki...”

“And he brought the Twins and you with them?” Crow laughed.

“Don't even joke about it, Crow!” Hanako felt tears gathering in her eyes again.

“Sorry”, he murmured, trying to find something that would cheer Hanako up, “I know what happened and I believe he just wanted to help her to become part of the team, that's all!”

“So you are also trying to comfort yourself?!” Hanako said like she already prepared this question for him a long time ago, leaving Crow speechless. He was silent, not wanting to tell a thing, as his head moved away from Hanako, back to the beautiful city, “You think I didn't notice?”

“What do you mean?” Crow murmured, enjoying the view.

“Don’t use your tricks on me!”

“There’s nothing wrong with feeling the way we both do…”

“I know, but”, Hanako suddenly shut her mouth, looking sadly at Crow’s facial exoressions. It was like they both shared this feeling that was twirling inside their hearts, “I shouldn't feel this way, but why am I still feeling like this? It's not like I chose to...”

“Because you can't choose who you'll fall in love with, it's your heart that desires!”

“And what if it causes my heart to ache?”

“And what about Pearson?” Crow looked at Hanako’s eyes, “I thought you won't able to let go of the past...”

“I thought that, too”, Hanako nodded, “But somehow...”

“...you feel alive again?!” Crow ended her sentence.

“Yes”, Hanako murmured, now knowing that Crow was feeling the same way about Aki, like she feels about Yusei, “Being with him... It's like I see another version of Pearson in him, but it's different somehow... And it’s making me even more confused because I don't know how I feel”, she ended, exposing her heart to Crow, feeling like he was the only one who could understand her.

“I know exactly how you feel”, Crow agreed, without any other thing to say.

“I just wish I can erase my memories and stop feeling this way about him...”

“Hey, don't you ever say that!”

“I just don't like this feeling... How are you even managing?”

“Because you never know what might happen in the Future”, Crow explained, “Who knows what awaits us in life... It's just like Yusei always says – we create our future with our own hands, you should try believing in those words sometimes, Baby!”

“I guess you’re right”, she tried to smile.

“You know what? Maybe you should cheer yourself up first and think about it all later!”

“What do you mean?”

“You know... Riding a D-Wheel through the city, playing with kids, go see Martha... Anything that will distract your thoughts from all of this!”

“You know, Crow, you're a genius!” Hanako smiled brightly, leaning towards Crow and planting a kiss on his cheek, before she jumped up.

“You're welcome”, he murmured, gently rubbing the place on his cheek that Hanako touched with her lips, “But where are you going?”

“I'm going to Martha's place to see the kids!” She said happily, moving around the roof to get downstairs.

“Make sure you get back home by the dinner time because I'm cooking again!” He turned around to see her, but she was already inside the house, so he shouted just to get her answer, “All right?”

“Don't worry!” He heard her voice from the inside of Poppo Time, “I won't be late!”

*** * ***

When Crow finished with his deliveries, he cooked the dinner but Hanako wasn't there... So he assumed she stayed at Martha’s place longer than she intended to. He knew this was going to happen, but he still kept hoping Hanako will be home soon, especially now when Ghost is somewhere wandering the streets of Neo Domino City. Crow set the table, letting out a sigh, because all this thinking about Hanako’s safety was frustrating him.

“What's wrong?” Jack asked.

“Hanako went to see Martha and still hasn’t come back”, Crow explained.

“She sure is passionate about those kids”, Yusei smiled, as he started imagining her running around and playing hide and seek with little orphans and how was usually behaving like a child when she was around them, completely changing her approach.

“Yeah, but this time it was my idea...”

“What do you mean, Crow?” Yusei was left confused.

“Now that you mention”, Jack started realising what was going on, “I noticed she was feeling down these days...”

“Yeah”, Crow confirmed, “I thought going there to see the kids would cheer her up a little!”

“Is there something wrong with her?” Yusei asked, not getting the point of the conversation between Crow and Jack.

“Don't tell me you didn't notice?” Crow crossed his hands, stopping with setting the table, while he wore his kitchen apron.

“I'm disappointed, Yusei!” Jack added, keeping Crow’s side,

“What?!” Yusei felt both Crow’s and Jack’s eyes pointing at him, so he got the need to look for an explanation, before he can say something to his defence.

“She's not feeling so well in the last couple of days, that's all”, Crow explained.

“Do you know why?”

“Have no idea”, Crow answered indifferently, lying to Yusei about Hanako’s feelings.

Jack was silent, listening to their conversation. He sensed something was wrong with Hanako, but since he had no idea what it was, he decided to stay out of it; he knew there will be a time like this, when Hanako will be ready to share her troubles with them. And even though he could only guess what it was, he could somehow sense the main cause of it, since it all started after Aki applied for her license, “You can ask her when she comes back”, Jack finally spoke.

“You’re right”, Yusei agreed, going back to the garage to start where he left off. He suddenly didn’t feel hunger, so he decided to leave Jack and Crow and move to the surrounding that he was more familiar with. He knew the number of crashed runners increased, since Ghost appeared again on the streets of Neo Domino City, but since he promised to Aki he was going to make a D-Wheel for her, he continued upgrading Aki's D-Wheel, completely losing the track of time, when Crow suddenly rushed into the garage.

“Yo, Yusei!”

“Crow?” Yusei moved the look away from the runner, seeing Crow’s pale face, like he has seen a ghost,

“Have you seen Hanako, maybe?”

“I thought she was at Martha’s place”, Yusei added calmly.

“Yeah, but she was supposed to come back home hours ago!”

“But she’s safe there, I don't see why you are worried...”

“Maybe she met Ghost or something like that… What if something happens to her and she crashes?

“Crow”, Yusei sighed, “It’s the middle of the day!”

“Are you kidding me?” Crow shouted worriedly, “Have you seen what time it is?”

His words made Yusei look at the clock on the wall that Hanako installed because she wanted to be organised and punctual. It was almost midnight and the needles on the clock were somewhere around number eleven. He completely lost the feeling for time because he was working on Aki’s D-Wheel, now cursing himself for not noticing Hanako was missing, “Crow, we have to find her!” Yusei jumped up and put his jacket on, taking his helmet with him, as he started approaching his runner.

“Oh, so now you're worried, too?!” Crow shrugged, looking how Yusei’s body started shivering, realising he has never seen Yusei like this before: he was rushing, quickly taking his clothes, his helmet and his deck with him, starting the engine of his runner and preparing to leave the garage. Crow was so shocked and surprised by Yusei’s actions, that he almost forgot to tag along, so when he finally realised Yusei was already on his way, he snapped out of his thoughts and ran to his Blackbird, “Hey, wait for me!”


	26. If I Lost You

20th Chapter

(following anime episodes 75 and 76)

**If I lost you**

Hanako was already on her way from Martha’s place to Poppo Time. She made dinner with Martha and was distracted by playing with kids that she completely lost the track of the time. It was nearly midnight when she checked the digital clock on her runner and it was very dark on the streets of Neo Domino City, “I stayed too long!” She shouted angrily, “Crow is going to get worried about me again”, she sighed when suddenly her D-Wheel activated and Speed World II spell showed on the screen of her runner, “A duel? Have you gone crazy?!” She asked her runner like it was alive, “What's going on? Who told you to wake up in the middle of the night?” She rolled her eyes, thinking her system had an error again, so she will have to check it tomorrow, but then she saw a strange male figure driving a D-Wheel behind her. Hanako ran a system-check to scan the driver behind her, but there was no data registered, so she turned her head, looking behind over her shoulder just to see a familiar character behind her.

“Get ready to duel!” The strange male shouted.

“Ghost?” Hanako murmured, “At this hour it's no surprise... I should've listened to Crow and come back home by the dinner time!” She scolded herself, moving her head back to the screen, seeing the duel has already started, so she just pressed the button and accepted it.

“You can't escape now!”

“Tell me something I don’t know”, she murmured sarcastically into her chin.

“It’s time!” Ghost laughed wickedly.

“Come and get me!” Hanako smirked, looking over her shoulder, “But we will do this my way!” She added, disabling autopilot mode, so that she can have a complete control over her runner and the speed.

“No autopilot, huh?” Ghost laughed manically, “You are very brave to do so!”

Hanako didn’t mind the provocation, “Since you invited, why don't you go first?”

But Ghost didn’t even think, he just drew his cards and started the duel, “My turn!” Ghost looked at his cards, playing his Wise Core (ATK 0 / DEF 0) in defence position, “I place two cards face down and end my turn!”

“My turn!” Hanako shouted, drawing a card, as she started thinking about her strategy, _“He is playing the same tactics he played with Yusei... If I don’t stop this Wise Core, he is going to summon his Machine Emperor”,_ she looked at the cards she drew, realising how she forgot to replace her regular deck with her Speed Duel deck was clearly visible on her face.

“What’s wrong, little girl?” Ghost smirked, looking at Hanako’s runner before his eyes, “Are you scared?”

“Who said I’m scared?” She shouted, looking at the screen of her runner, “I can’t believe I forgot to change my decks!” She scolded herself through a whisper, knowing she doesn’t have her Speed Spells and some crucial Tuner Monsters with her. She turned around to see Ghost; he was speeding up, following her speed without even sweating! “What should I do now?”

“If you’re going to quit, then do me a favour, Baby!” Ghost shouted with an evil smile on his face.

“Baby?” Hanako was left surprised, “And how do you know my name?”

“I know more than you can imagine”, Ghost added, “Now make your move!”

“Well, here goes nothing!” Hanako answered, moving back to her screen and carefully scanning her cards, “Well”, she smirked, seeing a card from her regular deck that might help her out, “Maybe having a regular deck with me isn’t that bad after all!” She said, taking a card and placing it onto the field, “I summon Numbing Grub in the Ice Barrier (ATK 1 300 / DEF 1 800)!”

“What is that thing?” Ghost was left surprised, seeing an icy worm with circular mouth filled with teeth, while ice was melting around it and disappearing into the air in form of a steam.

“This little fellow, since it was Normal Summoned, will block one of your card zones from use!” Hanako shouted happily, picking the middle spot in between two monster fields on the screen, “As long as my Grub is on the field, your monster card zone cannot be used, which means you are not able to summon 5 monsters at once!” She added, feeling proud of herself for blocking Ghost from summoning his Machine Emperor Wisel, but she knew it won’t be for long, so she already started thinking about further strategies.

“Damn you and your worms!” Ghost hissed.

“Wait, there’s more!” Hanako winked, “If there is an Ice Barrier monster on my side of the field, I can Special Summon Prior of the Ice Barrier (ATK 1 000 / DEF 400) in defence position!” She summoned her card, placing one card face down, ending her turn, _“If he is sealing Synchros, I'll just use my regular monsters without summoning Synchros”,_ she murmured in her mind, like it was a perfect way to talk to herself, but soon she shook her head and tried to focus on the duel, “I end my turn!”

“So you’re playing safe?” Ghost hissed, drawing a card, “My turn! I place one card face down to end my turn!”

“Phew”, Hanako sighed, _“As long as I keep my Grub on the field, he won’t be able to summon his Machine Emperor, so the first card he played was probably Spark Breaker that can destroy his Wisel Core and the other he played must be...”_ Hanako thought, carefully analysing the situation, “I play Strategist of the Ice Barrier (ATK 1 600 / DEF 1 600) in attack position!”

“For how long do you think you can survive without your Synchro Monsters?”

“And what if I told you I don’t have any?” Hanako smirked playfully, looking over her shoulder to see Ghost’s reaction.

“What did you say?” He looked both shocked and surprised at the same time.

“You heard me!” Hanako added, moving back to the screen, focusing onto the duel, “Strategist’s effect activates!” Hanako picked a card from her hand and showed it to Ghost, “By removing one ‘Ice Barrier’ monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can draw one card!” She added, sending her General Raiho of the Ice Barrier to the Graveyard, before she drew another card, “Oh, no!” She murmured, seeing a regular spell card in her hand, “I can’t use regular spells in a duel like this”, Hanako added through a whisper, thinking about what she should do next, “Now, Prior of the Ice Barrier, attack his Wisel Core now!” Hanako shouted determinedly, moving her hand and pointing it at Ghost’s monster.

“Haven’t you learned something from my duel with Yusei?” Ghost said, activating his trap card, “I activate my trap, Attack Nullification!”

“Just as I thought!” Hanako murmured, feeling happy she was able to predict as much.

“I can negate the attack of your monster, forcing your Battle Phase to end!”

_“He must have a strategy in his mind in how to bring his monster to the field”_ , Hanako thought to herself, knowing Ghost was eager to protect his Wisel Core from destruction, “I play one card face down and end my turn!” She added, wanting to see Ghost’s next step.

“You can run, Baby, but you can’t hide!” Ghost hissed wickedly, “I activate my trap card, Twin Vortex!” He shouted, “By destroying my Wise Core, I can destroy one of the monsters on your side of the field!”

“So it wasn't Spark Breaker?!” Hanako shouted in surprise, completely forgetting about Ghost’s other cards.

“I told you there's no escape from this duel!” Ghost laughed wickedly, “I choose to destroy your worm!”

“Oh, no!” Hanako shielded her face with her forearm, as the dust from the cracked asphalt started spreading all around her, “The damage in this duel was supposed to be real”, she murmured, “I can't risk my life like that!”

“Now, it's time, Baby!” Ghost shouted, “Prepare yourself for the real monster! Wise Core’s Effect Activates!”

“Not so fast!” Hanako shouted, “Trap activate! Solemn Warning!” She said, trying to hide shivers of her voice, “By paying 2 000 of my Life Points, I can negate Monster's Effect that Special Summons a monster and destroy that card!”

“You are really willing to risk so much and pay two thousand Life Point just to stop me from summoning my Machine Emperor?” Ghost started laughing, so Hanako assumed something was not right! He sure has a plan in his head.

It is still possible he predicted her turns, but she refused to give up! “If you don't risk, you can't win, right?” Hanako smirked, looking over her shoulder at Ghost, as her Life Points dropped down from 4 000 to 2 000. She was shivering with fear, knowing deep down inside of her that Machine Emperor will soon be summoned.

“I place one card face down and end my turn!” Ghost said, looking like there was nothing else he can do.

“My turn!” Hanako shouted, “I can tribute my Prior to target one Monster from my Graveyard and Special Summon it, so come back! General Raiho of the Ice barrier (ATK 2 300 / DEF 2 100)!”

“Playing tough, are we?”

“General Raiho, it’s time to show Ghost how we ride!” Hanako shouted, declaring a direct attack at Ghost!

“Good one, girl”, Ghost smirked, “But not good enough! Trap, activate!” He shouted, revealing his face down card, “Limit Reverse allows me to Special Summon a monster with 1 000 or less attack points from my Graveyard!”

“But it Special Summons a monster in attack position and I already declared an attack!” Hanako was confused, knowing his Wise Core’s Effect won’t activate if the monster is destroyed by battle.

“Who said it’s not in attack position?” Ghost smirked.

“But…” Hanako started to shiver with fear, not knowing what Ghost has in store for her! She kept thinking about the consequences of this duel; what if she dies? What if she loses and gets hurt? What will happen to her?

“I have another trap, Baby!” Ghost added, not minding her emotional state, “Here comes what you’ve been waiting for! Spark Breaker!”

“General Raiho’s Effect activates!” Hanako murmured, not trusting herself enough, “If Monster’s Effect is to be resolved, you have to discard one card from your hand or else the Effect is negated!”

“As you wish!” Ghost smiled, taking a cad from his hand and sending it to the Graveyard, “Now, I will Special Summon from my hand or deck Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity (ATK 0 / DEF 0), Wisel Top (ATK 500 / DEF 0), Wisel Guard (ATK 0 / DEF 1 200), Wisel Carrier (ATK 800 / DEF 600) and Wisel Attack (ATK 1 200 / DEF 0)!”

“Perfect”, Hanako murmured ironically, wanting to scold herself for letting this happen.

“Now, by activating my Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity’s Effect, my Machine Emperor Wisel will rise from these parts! Show yourself, Machine Emperor Wisel (ATK 2 500 / DEF 2 500)!” All monsters that were summoned to the field combined into one, just like that time when Ghost duelled Yusei; only now it was Hanako that was face to face with this mechanical monster! “Now, Wisel, attack Hanako’s General and let’s finish this!”

Hanako was skilled enough to take advantage of manual driving that was turned, because she insisted that autopilot would be switched off, so she managed to dodge the attack, but the force of the hit made a small tornado around her runner, so she had to balance it back to normal. The speed she was driving at was too high, so she had a hard time getting back to where she was, but after few coughs from the dust, she was able to get back on track, “Trap card, activate!” She murmured, coughing one more time with her right eye closed, as she was trying to see where she was heading at, “Frozen Soul!” She shouted, when her Life Points dropped down from 2 000 to 1 600 after her General Raiho was destroyed, “When my life points are at least 2 000 lower than yours, this card will skip your next Battle Phase!”

“Tch!” Ghost hissed, “You’re only postponing inevitable to happen, Baby!”

“Don’t you underestimate me and my deck, Ghost!” Hanako shouted angrily, “Now end your turn!” She felt her soul getting furious and angry, filled with the strong will to fight, so she refused to believe Ghost’s words, because she decided to trust her instincts and to trust her cards.

“Fine”, Ghost shrugged, “Like I have a better thing to do!” He looked at her body that was still shivering, so he started laughing again, “I end my turn!”

*** * ***

Yusei and Crow entered the street of Neo Domino City, driving through the main lane that was connecting Satellite with Neo Domino, thinking she must be here somewhere. They were trying to be as detailed as possible, searching every corner of the main street and trying to track Hanako’s runner, but something was interrupting their signal.

“I can’t find her GPS”, Yusei said worriedly, looking at Crow, who was driving next to him, “I think it'll be better if we split up!”

“Yeah! Good idea!” Crow smiled, “Let me know if anything pops up! I will tell Jack to call us if she comes home in the meantime!”

“Got it”, Yusei nodded, increasing his speed and leaving Crow behind, as he started cruising through the streets all alone, “Where could she be?” He murmured to himself, “Baby, why didn’t you come back home?” And even though he wanted to believe she was doing OK, one part of him was having a really bad feeling about all this. His thoughts started taking over his calm and collected personality, as the flashes of possible scenarios started exchanging in his head like pictures in the slow-motion video. He was so worried about her, for the first time in his life, he was afraid of losing her forever, so he didn’t realise he has been driving through the city for almost half an hour.

Soon, his screen turned on, making him snap out of his thought, “Got anything yet?” Crow’s face showed on the screen.

“Nothing”, Yusei murmured powerlessly.

“Jack said she still hasn’t come home yet”, Crow sighed with worry taking over his face.

“Shit!” Yusei hissed through his teeth.

“Yusei…” Crow’s eyes widen in surprise, because he couldn’t remember when was the last time he heard Yusei was cursing like that; that is, if he ever did it, “Maybe we should check Martha’s place”, he said, wanting to calm him down by giving him a piece of hope Hanako was all right.

“No use, Crow”, Yusei shook his head, “I contacted Saiga, she left Martha’s place few hours ago!”

“Few hours ago?!” Crow shouted, “Dam it! I shouldn’t have said that to her-”

“What?”

“Ah, never mind!” Crow tried to smile awkwardly, knowing how Hanako wouldn’t want him to tell Yusei what they talked about before she left, “We have to inform Ushio about this, maybe Security can help us track her runner down!”

“Wait, Crow!” Yusei suddenly said, looking away from the screen.

“What is it?” Crow raised his eyebrows, looking at the screen, but Yusei was focused onto something else, “Yusei, what’s wrong?”

“A duel is starting on this lane...”

“Yusei, you can't think about duelling in a situation like this!” Crow shouted angrily, “We need to find Baby!”

“It’s Ghost again!”

“Again?!” Crow asked, “Someone is in danger…”

“It’s not just someone, Crow”, Yusei answered, while his eyes started growing with fear and worry, “I think I found her!”

“Who? Baby?”

“Call you later, Crow!” Yusei said, hanging up the call, so Crow’s screen turned black in a second.

“Oy, Yusei! Hey, wait! Where did you find her?!” Crow sighed after Yusei completely ignored his questions and almost ditched him like that, when he also wanted to see Hanako and help her if she was in danger, “If she's duelling at this hour, it can only mean one thing”, he murmured to himself, knowing exactly when to search for Yusei and Ghost, as he sped up, hoping he won’t be too late!

*** * ***

Hanako was feeling cornered; she had two regular spells in her hand, her Strategist on the field and only 1 600 Life Points left, when she wasn’t able to even make a scratch on Ghost’s Life Point. His Machine Lord Emperor was guarding his field and only seeing that huge monster made Hanako’s body to shiver, making her feel the terror of fear and losing a duel where her life was at stake.

“Could it be I’m afraid?” She looked at her hands, holding her D-Wheel, while she was trying to keep her balance, “What’s wrong with me?” Her breath was heavy and she could barely breathe. Her hands were sweating and her whole body shivering. She never thought of herself as a great duellist, but rather someone who was duelling only for fun and ever since she met Pearson and fell in love with him, duelling was waiting in the background of her life, while the main reason she was living for were kids and D-Wheel engines construction.

“Hey, Baby!” Ghost laughed, “Why don’t you call Yusei to change your diaper?”

Hanako felt like crying after she heard his words, but then she remembered Yusei and how everything was so simple with him, how safe she was feeling around him and how brave he was, especially in his duel with Ghost that occurred just few days ago. She closed her eyes, wanting to feel that strength, to have Yusei by her side and it made her whisper his name unintentionally, “Yusei...”

“Hang in there, Baby!”

Hanako heard familiar voice calling for her while she was in the middle of her fears, feeling like she heard Yusei, but it was too good to be true, so she kept fighting her fears, but then she heard the same voice again, followed by the strong sound of Yusei’s engine, so she opened her eyes, “Yusei, is that you?” She turned her head, seeing Yusei driving on the lane next to hers, but he wasn’t able to go through.

“Baby, I can't get through to your lane but just focus!” Yusei shouted, “You can beat that Ghost, he's just a robot”, he added, turning on his screen and connecting his runner to Hanako’s

“Yusei”, Hanako looked at the screen before she murmured again, “I'm afraid!”

“There's nothing to be afraid of, Baby!” He said with strong determination in his voice, “You have the great deck and a good strategy; you don't need your Synchros for this! Just believe in yourself!”

“I can’t fight like this…”

“Don’t say that, just trust your cards and they will lead the way!”

“My cards?” Hanako blinked few times in confusion, carefully looking at her cards, remembering the card she left on the field, “That’s right!” She smiled, “Trap card, activate! Back to the front!” She moved her arm, pointing to her face down card, as the card moved up and revealed itself, “With this card, I can call one monster from my Graveyard and Special Summon it in defence position!”

“So?” Ghost raised an eyebrow, when Hanako summoned her Prior of the Ice Barrier that was too weak to beat his Machine Emperor Wisel, “That guy won’t even leave a scratch on my Wisel!”

“Who said he’s going to attack?” Hanako smirked, “I may not be able to Synchro Summon, but I can still Tribute Summon a monster!” She said, feeling slightly relieved, as the duel continued.

“What did you say?!”

“That’s right, Baby!” Yusei smiled, seeing Hanako changed her facial expression.

“I release my Strategist and my Prior to Tribute Summon General Gantala of the Ice Barrier (ATK 2 700 / DEF 2 000)!”

“Impossible!” Ghost shouted in disbelief, trying to figure out how to deal with Hanako’s monster, but he was so shocked, he just couldn’t think straight and all of a sudden, the fear of losing to this little brat made him act on impulse, so he speeded up and started chasing Hanako, “Well... If I can’t beat you in a duel, I can make you crash!” He shouted, pushing his runner forward, catching Hanako sooner than he expected.

“Oh, no!” Hanako shouted, “He has a better engine than me”, she looked next to her, seeing Ghost was already driving his runner parallel to her hers.

“Say goodbye to your precious girl, Yusei!” Ghost laughed, leaning his body to the left, crashing into Hanako, pushing her to the highway railing, so the metal started scratching her runner, making her to slow down, so she hit her break, balancing her runner back.

“Baby!” Yusei’s eyes widened with fear burning in his soul, while he shouted Hanako’s name at the top of his lungs.

“Yusei”, Hanako murmured, looking at Yusei’s worried face on her screen, “I'm afraid I'm going to crash if I continue with this duel...”

“Stay there, I’m coming for you!” He said, but before he could act, Ghost came to Hanako’s runner with another hit to the side.

“You can’t escape inevitable, Baby!” Ghost hissed.

“Argh!” Hanako strengthened the hold of her hands, looking at Yusei through the screen.

“Hang in there”, he murmured, trying to calm her down, but Yusei has never seen Hanako like this before; fear in her eyes, her voice shaking, her face pale... Ever since they reunited two years after they got separated, he was surprised to see how strong and grown she was: he used to have the need to protect her and to be there for her; but ever since their reunion, she was so different; she was brave enough to face even the toughest situations, she never needed anyone’s help and could do anything on her own.. She even stopped crying so much and was less sensitive than usual, so after realising how she doesn't need his protection anymore, he paid more attention to Aki because she needed him the most. Aki needed someone to rely on and someone to guide her through this life ever since Divine messed with her life... He wanted to protect her, so he was always there for her as a friend, but... He was about to lose one of his best friends, he was losing Hanako just when he spelled her name in his thoughts, Ghost hit Hanako’s runner again, making her lose her balance, so Yusei watched how she turned to the side with her runner driving straight into the lane wall.

“If you're not going to lose the duel, you're going to lose your life, Baby!” Ghost added, looking how her runner was about to crash into the concrete.

Hanako’s hands were shaking, so she wasn’t able to keep her runner balanced, as she slipped and turned left, breaking the safety glass on the duelling lane, but since she had her manual control turned on, without autopilot, she was able to control her runner, so she pushed it up, jumping over the concrete block, breaking through the safety glass of the duelling lane, so she closed her eyes tightly! As soon as the view cleared from the glass, Hanako opened her eyes, realising she was about to fall down on the rocks, so to protect her runner, she leaned her entire body to the side, trying to avoid damage as much as possible, while she stood up, standing on the seat of her runner, wanting to push it forward, not to hit the rocks, but during the fall, the rear tire of her D-Wheel hit the metal highway railing and turned upside down making her fall straight into the sea.

“HANAKO!” Yusei shouted, seeing the terrifying scene of Hanako’s runner breaing through the safety glass, so he hit his pedal, jumping over the railing from one line to the other, getting closer to the broken glass window, to see what's going on while Ghost was already far away. He saw Hanako faaling into the sea, hitting her head during the fall, making his heart to stop for a moment, as the entire life of his froze! It lasted only for a second, but just the thought of losing her again was sending shivers down his spine. He realised he was about to lose her, only this time it will be forever!

The noise of Hanako’s runner hitting the rocks on the shore made Yusei snap out of his thoughts, as he tried to reach the shore with his runner as fast as he could, finding the safest and the quickest way to go down and as soon as he arrived on the shore, he took off his jacket, left his belt with card on near the surface and jumped into the sea to catch her, while the entire scene almost woke up nostalgic memories from his life, as he started remembering the day he saved Rally from drowning when Jack took his runner and escaped to Neo Domino city. He jumped into the sea, hoping he was not too late, because she was nowhere to be found! Yusei had to dive in to search for her, as she was drowning deeper and deeper into the sea, when he finally found her body! She had her helmet on her head but her face was covered in blood, so he assumed she hit her head hard during the fall... The wound looked pretty bad and she looked like was about to faint underwater.

Underwater, Hanako was still conscious but was losing her breath because she started panicking. She even tried to see something around her while holding her breath, but her head hurt and she could feel her open wound pulsating from salt, making her feel throbbing pain around her forehead, as the warmth of blood started strolling down her face, over her eye, she started losing consciousness, slowly closing her eyes, because everything was blurry. She felt like crying, but the sea salt was making it hard for her to even look underwater, when all she ever wanted is just to be saved. And just when she started losing hope, she felt someone’s hands on her neck, checking her pulse, so she tried to gesture him or her she was losing her breath, “I... Can’t... breathe...” She was opening her mouth without saying a word, while shaking her head powerlessly.

Yusei cupped Hanako’s cheeks, checking her pulse just feel her heartbeat, but as soon as he touched her, she opened her eyes, as her face smiled weakly to him, so he assumed she was able to recognise his face. Her eyelids looked so heavy, it made Yusei think she will fall unconscious underwater, but he knew he must not let that happen! He started thinking about what should he do right now, but nothing was crossing his mind, when suddenly he felt Hanako’s hands grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer to her like she was seeking protection. Yusei somehow knew what she was thinking and how she was feeling just by looking into her eyes. They were already far from the surface and he had to act quickly, if he wanted to save her life, before she starts gulping, water coming through her mouth and nose.

 _“That's it!”_ Yusei thought, while his hands were still having her cheeks cupped, so he leaned towards Hanako, gently pulling her face closer to his, _“Please, forgive me for this, Baby”,_ he murmured in his thoughts, sealing her mouth with his own to stop water from coming through. He felt her body was shivering, probably from cold and she must have been shocked by his actions, so he let go of her right cheek and pinched her nose, to prevent her from inhaling water. He saw how her eyes widened in surprise, so he had to admit this situation he brought them both in wasn't even on his mind, and it only made him just as surprised as she was; having her lips sealed on his was the last thing he was hoping to ever happen in their lives, but he had to focus on saving hers! He started with slow and short breaths, inhaling and exhaling through her mouth, trying to talk to her through his actions, to tell her that he's here and she'll be alright...

It wasn't too long until Hanako just placed her hands behind Yusei’s back, pulling him closer and holding his shirt tightly between her fingers. She closed her eyes, giving it all back to him; inhaling and exhaling slowly and gently, trying not to let the water come into her mouth and nose. She completely gave herself in - giving to Yusei both, her body through her lips and her soul through her breath. She was feeling like someone stripped her and left her completely exposed before Yusei’s character, living in his embrace like a womb: small and vulnerable.

Yusei closed his eyes after Hanako did it; as he started focusing on sharing his breath with her. He was listening to her needs and they somehow started breathing in unison, as they were one, but as soon as he realised her breath came back to normal, he stopped because he was losing his breath now and he had to calm down and gather enough strength to pull them out of the water. Before he moved away from her, he felt her lips still holding tight onto his, realising her lips were kissing his, so he let go of her nose, opening his eyes and wrapping her waist with one hand. She was still keeping her eyes closed, holding his shirt like she was refusing to let him go and Yusei felt her soul flowing over him, capturing him completely in this moment that he wanted to burn into his memory forever. He slowly moved his lips up, kissing Hanako’s upper lip gently and with care; feeling his heart beating faster when she responded with another kiss.

Hanako placed her lips on his bottom lip, sealing them into a kiss, feeling salt she felt before was now gone, being replaced with Yusei’s warm lips and saliva. She felt his hand wrapped around her waist holding her even tighter and pushing her gently towards the surface, so she knew she is going to be all right now when Yusei has her. As soon as he managed to push them both to the surface, Hanako started coughing and breathing heavily, craving for some air, feeling like her lungs were on fire. She felt dizzy and weak, so she just rested her head on Yusei's shoulder, nuzzling his neck, while he was swimming towards the shore, pulling her body with his. As soon as they reached the shore, when the water was only touching his knees, Yusei took Hanako’s body and carried her outside the water, gently placing her body down, allowing her to sit down on a flat rock while he was trying to reach for his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders to warm her up.

“Let me see you”, he whispered, removing her helmet from her head, seeing her frightened eyes that were reminding him of a stray puppy left in the streets during the storm. She was shivering, probably from the cold and she looked weak and exhausted. Yusei placed her helmet next to her, leaning towards her face, cupping her cheeks and gently rubbing her forehead with his thumb, where she had a cut “I thought it would be nastier than this”, he smiled in relief, seeing only few scratches. The wound stopped bleeding probably because the sea salt already healed half of the damage, so he examine other parts of her face. With her lips turning purple and her skin as pale as the snow, she looked like a lavender covered in soft cotton puffs and seeing her shivering just made him wrap his hands around her, pulling her closer into his embrace, gently caressing her wet hair and leaning her head on his shoulder.

Hanako was silent. She was in pain, but she wasn’t paying attention to it, because she was still daydreaming about that kiss they shared underwater; if it could be called _a kiss_. She was shivering but it wasn't because of shock, cold or because she was losing her breath, but because of Yusei's actions... She never thought he could be able to do something like that, not even just to save her life, so she tried to convince herself that he did it just because he didn’t want to lose her as a friend. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop questioning his feelings for her and her feelings for him. After what just happened, she was more confused than before, but soon came to a conclusion how he must be in love with Aki. After all, she saw them together and the way she was looking at him was telling her everything. Aki loved him and there was no doubt about it... But his jacket was so warm and it was hiding Yusei’s scent, making her smile softly, wanting him to never let her go from his strong and safe embrace, so she curled into his arms, grabbing part of his wet shirt and holding it tight.

“How are you feeling?” Yusei whispered, when he felt Hanako holding onto him, but it took her some time to reply.

“I was feeling dizzy and I almost lost consciousness”, she took a deep breath in order to continue, “I couldn't breathe at all... But now”, she remembered the kiss again, so she curled some more into his embrace, “I'm fine thanks to you”, she murmured, resting her head on Yusei’s chest.

“I told you I'll always be there”, he smiled, rubbing his hands gently up and down her shoulder and back.

“I'm just glad it wasn't a lie”, she giggled, feeling sleepy, as this whole thing drained too much of her energy.

“And I'm glad this is all over now”, Yusei whispered, looking up at the starry night sky, so Hanako looked up to see what he was doing.

“Me too”, she whispered back to him, seeing how he shifted his eyes down to her, as they started gazing into each other's eyes; he was relieved to see her alive and she was grateful that he came just in time to save her life “You are like a guardian angel”, she murmured, closing her eyes, feeling Yusei planted a kiss on her forehead, but as soon as she opened them again, she saw her damaged runner lying on the shore, while sea was touching its body with every wave that hit the shore.

“What’s wrong, Baby?”

“My precious icicle”, she murmured with tears gathering in her eyes, while her eyes were pointing at her D-Wheel.

“You did a great job turning it around in the fall. I bet the damage on it is minimal”, Yusei somehow wanted to comfort her and to make her not to worry right now, because her life and safety were two most important things at the moment, “Don't worry about it, I will help you repair it!” He smiled, remembering how he wanted to show her something, so he added, “By the way, I have something for you!”

“Really?” Hanako’s eyes widened, while her smile spread all over her face and suddenly she looked as nothing happened just few moments ago, “What is it?”

Yusei smiled at her reaction, “You will see when we get back home”. He looked down at her, seeing her nodding happily in agreement, but not saying a word about it. He did his best to keep her warm under his jacket, while silence was taking over their entire rendezvous.

Soon, he heard her whispering something he was having a hard time to understand at first, “There's something you should know...”

“Is it the reason you were feeling down lately?” His question made her nod, so he added with feelings of guilt, “I'm so sorry, Baby! I should've known earlier”, he started, thinking he was responsible for how she was feeling, “I was just so caught up helping Aki get her license that I completely forgot about everything else. Even my engine is on a standby mode...”

“You don't have to apologise, I understand”, Hanako whispered, “After all, she is...”

“A friend, yes. And you know I'd do anything for a friend!”

“Especially for her...”

“And what makes her different from you in any way?” He raised his eyebrows at Hanako, not knowing what she was trying to say o him with those words, but she remained silent, so he got the need to tell her something he should have said a long time ago, “Aki needs me and she lets me be there for her. That’s why I am doing all of this, but with you... It’s a different story, though”, he said, moving his hand to her cheek, wiping few tears that started rolling down her cheek, “You never needed my help even though I was always there. You somehow managed to solve everything on your own and it always bothered me”, he smiled at his own words, “So now when I got the chance to be there for you, just let me”, he raised bot his eyebrows when he realised she was looking deep into his eyes, “Please!”

“I already did”, Hanako giggled, but her face soon lost the happiness she had, as she wanted to say something else to him, but didn’t know how, “Yusei...”

“What's wrong, Baby?”

“I lov-“, she started, but then she got a headache and started feeling dizzy, “I... I'll... definitely fix that runner!” She looked at her D-Wheel.

“I bet you will”, Yusei smiled, but his face was soon covered with worry, when Hanako closed her eyes and lifelessly fell onto his chest, “Baby!” He immediately checked her pulse, realising she was just weak and tired, so she eather fell asleep or lost her consciousness, “I guess... You really are a fighter, Baby”, he whispered, hugging her tight while still being gentle, “To be able to take all this pressure and push yourself this far... You'll never stop to amaze me!” He looked at her sleeping face, getting lost in his thoughts and dreams about her, when he heard shouts coming from above.

“Yusei! There you are!”

“Crow”, Yusei looked up, seeing Crow standing on the edge of duelling lane where the safety glass windows was broken, “Come down here, I need your help!”

“Is she alright?” Crow’s heart skipped the beat when he saw Hanako lying in Yusei’s arms so lifelessly, so he grabbed his runner and got down to the shore in no time, seeing Yusei looking at his direction.

“She fell into the sea and hit her head, but I managed to save her!”

“She needs to see a doctor!” Crow shouted worriedly, looking Hanako’s pale skin and her weak body wrapped in Yusei’s jacket.

“Yes! Right away!” Yusei said, moving his one hand below Hanako’s knees to pick her up, “Can you take her to the hospital? I have to take her runner back to the garage and change my clothes”, Yusei asked Crow while carrying Hanako in his arms.

Crow looked at Yusei, he was all wet and tired, still trying to catch his breath, so Crow could only assume what really happened before he arrived, “And how about we take her back home and call Doctor Schmidt to check her?”

“Good idea, Crow”, Yusei nodded, “We should tell Jack we found her!”

“Someone called my name?” Jack shouted from the upper highway, standing next to his runner, making Crow and Yusei look up.

“Jack!?” Yusei was surprised.

“I forgot to tell you”, Crow smirked, “I already told Jack what happened”, he added, scratching the back of his neck nervously, feeling sorry for forgetting to tell Yusei that small detail.

“Great”, Yusei nodded, “Then let’s go home!”

Crow and Jack nodded with a smile, so Yusei gently carried Hanako to Crow’s Blackbird, looking how Crow placed her in front of him, guarding her sides with his hands holding runner’s holders, so she doesn’t fall during the ride, “Don’t worry, Yusei!” Crow winked at him, “She’s safe with me!”

“I’m counting on you, Crow”, Yusei nodded, watching Crow leave.

“Don’t make us wait for too long!” Crow shouted, looking behind to see Yusei’s reaction.

“I’ll be right behind you!” Yusei smiled, waving at Crow before he left with Jack, leaving Yusei alone to attach Hanako’s runner to his, so that he can take it back to the garage and fix it – maybe even before Hanako wakes up tomorrow.


	27. The Darkness of Yusei's Heart Part I

21st Chapter

(following anime episode 77)

**The Darkness of Yusei's Heart**

**Part I**

Jack was impatiently tapping the floor of Poppo Time’s garage, while Doctor Schmidt was checking Hanako’s health state and Crow was nervously going back and forth, stepping like a soldier, with hands behind his back. They called for Dr. Schmidt to check Hanako, because they trusted him more than anyone else, on top of it, Zola was the one sticking with the plan, so that Hanako can stay at home, where she was safe.

“Doctor, how is she?” Crow suddenly jumped in front of Dr. Schmidt, looking at him with concern, so Jack approached him, waiting for his results.

“She had a minor concussion and few injuries but she's doing perfectly fine”, the Doctor explained with a smile.

“I'm glad”, Crow sighed with relief, closing his eyes.

“But there is something strange”, Doctor suddenly said, making both of them to pay more attention to his presence, so he continued, “Something stopped her from drowning!”

“Well, yeah”, Crow said proudly, like it was obvious, “Yusei found her and pulled her out of the water!”

“I get that part, but something stopped the water from coming inside her lungs”, Dr. Schmidt said with confusion in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” Jack asked.

“It’s similar to CPR”, he started, “But instead of performing it after the water has already entered, you stop the water from coming in in the first place!”

“So you don’t think that Yusei...” Jack murmured, trying to think about what the Doctor was trying to say.

“Argh!” Crow hissed, “If he did something to her, I’ll...”

“I save her life!” All three of them heard a familiar voice in the background that made them turn their heads, seeing Yusei standing at the entrance to the garage, “Isn’t that enough?”

“Yusei!” Crow hissed again, but Yusei didn’t seem to mind. He remained calm and collected, as he looked at the doctor with the serious look on his face.

“Is she all right?”

“Yes, everything is under control. She just needs some time to rest”, he smiled at Yusei, “And knowing her, she’ll probably jump out of the bed tomorrow like nothing happened!”

“Thank you”, Yusei nodded as a sign of understanding, so Doctor Schmidt packed his stuff and left the garage.

“Call me if something happens”, he said to Yusei, before he left.

*** * ***

When the morning knocked on Poppo Time’s door, Jack was already across the house at the café, drinking his favourite coffee, while Crow was making sandwiches for breakfast in the kitchen, since he was the one, who was sleeping on the couch last night, because they moved Hanako to his room after she crashed. He was happily whistling , while cutting the bread pieces to prepare sandwiches mostly for himself and for Hanako, so that she can feel better.

“What’s up, Crow?” He suddenly heard soft and sweet voice, turning his head only to see Hanako standing on the doorway, smiling at him like a morning sunshine.

“Baby?” He freaked out, “What are you doing outside your bed?”

“First, it’s your bed, silly”, she giggled, “Second, it’s morning, so I woke up!”

“Okay”, he rolled his eyes, “Let me rephrase that; what are you doing out of MY bed?!”

“I’m enjoying my life!” She laughed, but suddenly stopped, when a short headache hit her, so she placed her hand on her forehead.

“And what have I told you?” Crow scolded her, walking towards her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder for support.

“Sorry”, she murmured shyly, “These stitches are really painful”.

“I bet”, he chuckled, “How are you feeling, anyway?” He looked at her with his eyebrows raised.

“I feel like someone slapped me with the pan!”

“Very promising, Baby”, Crow said ironically.

“Let me help you”, she just added, ignoring his words.

“Not a chance! You can’t be doing anything in that state!”

“At least let me build those sandwiches!” She jumped few times, desiring to help him with breakfast, so he looked at the bread and a pile of things he wanted t put between two slices of it, so he sighed powerlessly.

“I guess it can’t hurt”, Crow smiled, so Hanako walked towards the kitchen counter and started building sandwiches, while Crow was doing the cutting part. They both stayed there in silence, as Hanako felt like she could use a bit of peace and quiet, before she recovers completely from what happened yesterday. She suddenly started remembering it, as the flashes of events started popping into her head, making her blush, when her mind finally reached the memory of Yusei practically kissing her underwater. Crow realised she changed her facial expression, so he looked at her.

“What?”

“Nothing!”

“Crow?” Hanako raised one eyebrow at him, knowing he wanted to ask her something, but then she got what she asked for.

“What the heck happened with you two?”

Hanako's face blushed some more at his words, making her gulp first, before she was able to say anything else, “Crow, I have no idea what you’re talking about!“

“You can try to fool yourself, Baby, but it won’t work with me”, he waved with his hand so hard that Hanako could almost feel the wind slicing her face while keeping her look glued to the sandwiches, thinking about how stupid it was to make sandwiches for breakfast, but soon she snapped out of her thoughts, when Crow yelled, “Baby!”

“Sorry, Crow”, she finally murmured.

“What happened?” Crow’s facial expression suddenly changed, as the huge emotion of anger was switched with concern and worry.

“But if I tell you, you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone!” She murmured shyly with her cheeks red, as she was looking Crow straight into his eyes.

“You know I won’t! Just tell me what happened“, even after hearing his concerned words, Hanako was still hesitating, but then she saw the spark of worry in his eyes, “Please!” Crow was desperately looking at her, so she decided to be honest with him.

“Yusei kissed me”, she finally said with a low tone just to make sure no one heard her.

“He did WHAT?!” Crow yelled, completely surprised. His voice was so loud that Hanako could feel walls trembling, so she left building sandwiches and sealed his mouth with her hands.

“Hush, you idiot! They’ll hear you!”

“It was... Like a CPR kiss or... The real deal?” Crow murmured into Hanako’s hands, so she moved them away, looking at him with anger in her eyes, because she was still mad at him for yelling so loudly like that.

“It was real, Crow”, she whispered, looking at Crow’s facial expressions, but then she heard Jack yelling from the entrance into the garage.

“Baby, is everything alright up there?”

“Crow, if something happened to her...“ Yusei’s voice followed Jack’s.

Hanako quickly moved back to the sandwiches, building a huge sandwich with 6 slices of bread, handing them to Crow in a hurry, “Here, hold this!”

“What do I need that for?”

“That’s our one way ticket out of this mess!” Hanako said in panic, while Crow was trying to calm down after seeing the biggest sandwich in his life! It looked like Hanako stuffed it with half of their refrigerator groceries with five or six slices of toast between them, he couldn’t even count!

“Baby, are you OK?” Yusei looked at both of them, breathing heavier than usual, because he ran to the kitchen as fast as he could, while Jack was standing behind him.

“What’s with all that panic?” Hanako just asked, while blinking, trying to look both confused and all right – as she was acting like nothing happened, “Of course I’m OK!”

“The what happened, Crow?” Jack asked, looking at Crow, wanting some answers, because not even he was buying the bluff how nothing happened.

“I was just”, Crow started, feeling his forehead started sweating, as he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“Surprised by the size of his sandwich that I managed to make for him!” She was looking at Crow, searching for cooperation from him with her eyes, as she happily pointed to his sandwich.

“Yeah, guys!” Crow said, “Just look at the size of this thing!” He raised his sandwich up into the air, making Hanako giggle, but soon she sighed in relief, when Jack and Yusei stopped asking about Crow’s sudden shouts and her health.

“Speaking of food, we’re out of coffee”, Jack suddenly said.

“I’ll go get it!” Hanako jumped happily, getting ready to go, just so that she can escape from the garage to avoid any additional questions, but just when she crossed the kitchen doorway, she saw Yusei’s hand blocking her way.

“Not a chance!”

“Why not?” Hanako looked at him with a slice of surprise in her eyes, but then she remembered Yusei was always acting protective over someone he cares about, only she wasn’t used to it after they met again, because she could do anything on her own.

“You’re not going anywhere… Alone! Not after what happened last night!”

“Yusei, I’m not a little girl anymore”, Hanako murmured, “I can take care for myself!”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it with my own eyes!”

“Yusei, please…”

“OK”, he sighed, knowing there was no use in arguing with her, “ But I’m going with you!”

Hanako was silent at first, looking deeply into Yusei’s eyes, before she decided to speak, “Fine! If you’re going to babysit me, be my guest!” She grabbed his hand and moved it away, as she started walking away, so Yusei ran behind her when Crow stopped him by pulling his shoulder backwards.

“I’m going with her!” Crow said with the serious look in his eyes. He wasn’t asking for permission from Yusei, but rather wanted to let him know he was determined to accompany her, but Yusei kept being silent for a while, so Jack just kept looking at them and how they were looking at each other, like fire was burning between their gaze.

“OK”, Yusei finally murmured, moving Crow’s hand away from his shoulder, “Just don’t let her out of your sight!”

“Don’t worry, Yusei!” Crow smiled, “Just leave this to Crow-sama!” He winked at Hanako, who was already far away from Yusei’s reach.

*** * ***

Few more days have passed and everything looked peaceful in Neo Domino City; not even Ghost has shown himself during these days, so Hanako could focus on constructing a new engine, but she was alone, because Yusei kept leaving the garage more often than before, while Crow was busy with the delivery and Jack was at his usual place. After working hard day and night, Hanako was finally able to finish the job, so she went outside for some additional parts, before she adds the final touch to the engine.

On her way back home, she bumped into the garage with a huge smile on her face, “Yusei!” She shouted happily, wanting to share the news with him, but the garage was empty, making her sadden her face, as she looked around.

“He’s not here, Baby”, Crow suddenly showed up on the staircase to the garage.

“Do you know where he went?” Hanako asked through a murmur, feeling like she already knows the answer.

“He's helping Aki with her homework”, Jack added, approaching Hanako from behind, returning from the cafe.

“Again?!” Hanako shouted angrily, rolling her eyes.

“Yes”, Crow shrugged.

“For the name of lifting jacks, can that girl do anything on her own?!” She shouted even louder, going deeper into the garage, as she left the box with additional parts on the table, while Crow was looking at her like she lost her mind.

“Baby, you should chill...”

“Yeah, calm down”, Jack agreed, “They'll finish any minute now!”

“How can you be so sure about it?”

“Because he left four hours ago”, Jack explained.

“And how do you know that?!” Crow interrupted.

“I saw him, while I was drinking my coffee!”

“Really, guys?!”

“What?” Both Jack and Crow turned to her.

“How do you know they need only four hours to solve her homework?” Hanako crossed her hands, tapping the floor angrily with one foot.

“Well... He just needs to explain it to her, right?” Crow said, “She can do the rest on her own!”

“Yeah!” Hanako answered with irony in her voice, “And after five hours, she'll find something else she needs him for!” She waved with her hands angrily, walking up and down, like she was talking to herself.

“Aki is obviously having a hard time learning other stuff than duelling”, Jack assumed.

“She is always _Yusei this_ , _Yusei that..._!” Hanako was even more furious than before.

“If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were in love with him”, Jack said.

“I am certainly not!” Hanako blushed, “She's just so incapable of doing anything without him!”

“If you acted like a damsel in distress, he'd be jumping around you, too!”

“Jack's right!” Crow agreed, “You should relax, it’s just how Yusei is... Ready to help anyone anytime!”

Hanako looked at them with a trace of disappointment in her eyes, not knowing how to even react in a situation like this or what to say after everything that was happening inside of her heart, “What does she have that I lack?!”

“Bigger boobs?” Jack immediately said, without even thinking about it.

“Jack, really?!” Crow looked at him, raising his eyebrows at his words.

Not even Hanako was immune to what Jack said, so she bowed her head, looking at her boobs, “What's wrong with my breasts?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Baby”, Crow approached her to comfort her, if her mood gets even worse. He saw the sadness in her eyes and a part of disappointment, as she sighed.

“I just want him to…”

“To what?” Jack asked curiously.

“To give me a credit!” Hanako said, clenching her fists, “I’m really trying my best and all he’s doing is just”, she stopped, moving her look away from both Jack and Crow, feeling like she will burst out in tears if she says one more word, “He’s just there... Existing near me and I…”

“Why don’t you just tell him?” Crow interrupted her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Tell him what?” Hanako felt Crow’s hands, so she looked up to meet his gaze, “Hey, Yusei, I want you to tell me I’m doing my job right!?” She mocked Crow’s words.

“Just tell him how you feel, Baby!” Crow encouraged her, “He can’t tell you something you want to hear, if it’s not something he would say”, he showed Hanako a smile, “But maybe he’ll surprise you with his answer!”

“True!” Jack smiled, as he stood behind Crow, like he was standing behind his words, “You can’t expect him to do what you want him to do… But if you tell him how you truly feel, I’m sure he’ll respond to you!”

“How I feel?” Hanako blinked few times, looking at both of her childhood friends, “But what if I don’t know what I feel?”

“It’s your heart, Baby!” Jack answered, “If you don’t know, no one else does!”

“When it comes to Yusei, I’m”, she tried to explain her feelings, “I am so confused…”

“It’s OK to be confused sometimes”, Crow smiled.

“According to all what you said, I’d say what you feel is jealousy!” Jack said proudly, knowing he was right.

“Is not!” Hanako moved Crow’s hands from her shoulders, shouting at Jack, as her cheeks started blushing, so she quickly calmed herself, realising she overreacted, “This has nothing to do with Aki... I just wanted to share something with Yusei and it’s kind of urgent!”

“Oh, yeah!” Crow suddenly remembered why this all started, so he became curious, “About that... What can be so important, you can't wait?”

“I managed to construct the engine!” Hanako answered like it wasn’t a big deal.

“You did WHAT?!” Both Crow and Jack looked at her with their eyes wide open.

“You heard me”, Hanako bit her lip shyly, while smirking.

“Well”, Crow smiled, “Why don’t we check it now! We don't need Yusei for that!”

“I know”, Hanako sighed, “I just wanted him to see my work...”

“Don't worry, Baby!” Jack smiled, seeing her sad face, wanting to cheer her up, “When we're done, I'll treat you a drink!”

“And I'll make you a dinner!”

“Thanks, guys!”

“OK”, Jack shouted happily, “Now, let's go test that engine!”

“Yeah!” Crow added, feeling overjoyed about the news, so he took Hanako’s helmet and threw it to her, before they get outside to test the engine.

*** * ***

Ever since Aki got her licence and officially became a Turbo Duellist, she was asking for Yusei’s help a lot, so he was rarely in the garage. Instead of going to Poppo Time, Rua and Ruka decided to go to the arena and watch Aki and Yusei duel. They were sitting on the benches near the duelling lane, cheering on Aki.

“Aki-san has really gotten caught up in Riding Duel, right?” Ruka smiled happily, seeing how Aki was determined to learn how to duel while riding at such incredible speed.

“Yeah!” Rua agreed, looking at Yusei’s direct attack that lowered Aki’s Life Points, “Man... I wanna Riding Duel, too!”

“You Rua, Riding Duel?” Ruka couldn’t hide her surprise, “I won’t say it!” She started laughing so hard, her stomach hurt, so he placed her hands onto her belly.

“You don’t have to laugh so much you know?” Rua felt ashamed, feeling his cheeks were softly blushing, but just before Ruka wanted to say more jokes about it, they were interrupted by a familiar, joyful voice.

“Guys, you’re also here?” Hanako approached the Twins.

“Ah, Baby!” Rua smiled, “Whatcha doing here?”

“Yusei called for me”, she said, sitting next to Ruka.

“To watch him duel Aki? So cool!” Rua shouted, punching his fist into the air.

“No”, Hanako giggled at his adorable personality, “I came to help him with something!”

“But he is duelling Aki right now”, Ruka murmured, feeling like something was not right.

“I know”, Hanako added, not wanting to show how much she was bothered by that fact, “But they will be over soon, so he said he wants to take me somewhere!” She smiled happily.

“Oh, like on a date?” Rua asked naively, but was soon scolded by his twin sister.

“Rua, shut your mouth!” She said angrily, “You can’t think about date every time Yusei takes a girl out!” She looked at Hanako, “Besides, we even don’t know where he’s taking her!”

“Calm down, guys”, Hanako showed her palms to the Twins, moving them up and down slowly, to gesture them how everything was all right, “Yusei and I are not dating, we’re just friends... And friends hang out sometimes”, she added, feeling like her voice started to shiver.

“Yeah”, Rua said, thinking about it, “If he’s dating Aki, he can’t be dating you, too”, he concluded, making Hanako sadden her face, remembering what happened that day, when Aki was applying for her licence and how she almost lost her duel to Ghost, but then was crashed and ended up with injuries and if it wasn’t for Yusei, she would have probably been dead by now; drowned deeply in the sea of Neo Domino. But soon Ruka hit Rua’s head, making him moan in pain, so Hanako snapped out of her thoughts.

“Guys, stop it”, she scolded them one more time, but then Aki came to them, after the duel was finished.

“Aki!” Rua and Ruka shouted in unison, making Hanako turn her head to see her.

“Aki?” Hanako murmured.

“Baby?” Aki murmured back, as they started gazing into each other’s eyes for a few moments.

“You were great!” Ruka suddenly shouted, realising the awkward silence between the girls.

“Come, sit with us”, Hanako then snapped out of her thoughts again, trying to act as natural as she could, smiling softly at Aki.

“Hanako, what are you doing here?” Aki asked with slice of confusion in her eyes, not remembering Rua and Ruka mentioned her, when she called.

“I was about to ask you the same thing”, Hanako said, knowing it didn’t make sense, but she was trying to avoid conversations about her and Yusei, especially with Aki.

“I came here with Yusei”, Aki blushed softly when she spelled his name, “I need to improve my Turbo Duelling and I know Yusei has been too busy with working on that new engine, so I asked him to take a break and help me with it. I thought duelling would help him relax and forget about problems for a while!” She smiled happily, like she was feeling proud of herself to be involved in Yusei’s life.

“I see”, Hanako murmured, not knowing what else to say, so she remained silent.

Twins just kept looking at them, listening to their conversation, feeling the tension between them, but then Aki broke the silence with another question, “How come you understand him so well?”

“I beg your pardon?” Hanako raised an eyebrow at Aki’s question.

“You always seem to understand Yusei so well and I get a feeling you know his heart deeper than any one of us does!” Aki tried to explain.

“Yusei’s mind is very complex”, Hanako started, “He’s like an engine construction! Full of small parts that seem so simple and useless at first, but if you combine them together, they boost any vehicle at the most incredible speed you’ll ever see!” She smiled brightly talking about it, she looked like a child talking about her favourite superhero.

“What does that have to do with Yusei?” Rua was left confused, so Hanako blushed, realising what she just said.

“When you learn how each part works, you’re able to assemble them into a perfect fit”, Hanako said, thinking it wasn’t so simple to understand, so she just shook her head, “I’m sure Aki will begin to understand once she masters Turbo Duelling!”

“Talking about Yusei, where is he?” Aki said worriedly, looking around her surroundings.

“I don’t know”, Ruka said, “Maybe he got lost somewhere!”

“You think he would forget about what h promised to Hanako!” Rua asked, making Hanako gulp at this, realising Aki will probably be curious about what he was talking about.

“Yeah, wasn’t he supposed to take you somewhere?” Rua looked up, thinking about what Hanako told them when she came.

“Take you where?” Aki looked at Hanako, like she was seeking for answers, but hanako refused to answer that question, so she hoped something will happen, before she dies out of embarrassment.

“To a place only Baby and I know of!” The male voice broke the awkward silence.

“Yusei?” Hanako’s eyes widened, when she saw him approaching Aki from behind.

“Are you ready to go?” Yusei looked at Hanako with a smile.

Hanako’s body trembled at the look in his eyes, remembering the night she crashed, how he kissed her lips and gave her his breath, saving her from drowning, so she moved her eyes to his lips, feeling her cheeks started burning, while her throat became soar, “Yusei, I”, she murmured, but then she saw the sadness in Aki’s eyes, like she was hurt and disappointed, so Hanako realised it was because she loved Yusei and wanted to spend some more time with him and just then, before Hanako could even think about what to say, Aki jumped in.

“But I hoped I can at least treat you with lunch or a coffee for helping me out!” She looked at Yusei with her puppy eyes, seeking his attention.

“Aki, I’m sorry”, Yusei murmured, “I already planned something else”, he moved his eyes to Hanako, seeing how lost she was by this whole situation.

“Please, Yusei!” Aki pleaded, placing her hand around his, holding him close to her.

“You know what?” Hanako clenched her fists, gathering the strength to bare with the situation and prevent herself from shaking and crying, “You go and have fun, guys! I just remembered I have a job to do!” She said, as she started walking away, speeding up her steps, but then she felt a strong hold below her shoulder.

“Baby, wait!” She saw that look in Yusei’s eyes she saw that night; filled with fear of losing her, as his eyes were shaking like the darkest wild sea during the stormy weather that could make even the mightiest ship to sink.

“Sorry, Yusei”, she nearly murmured, pulling away from his hold, “I really have to go!” She now started running, feeling tears gathering in her eyes, so she cursed herself over hundred times for feeling this way about Yusei. It happened so suddenly, she didn’t even realise when it happened or how it happened... She felt like it hit her in a second, not even giving her some time to think about it or to adapt to the situation. It was like she woke up one day and her whole life changed; and now, when all she could think about was the kiss they shared underwater, it was more painful than before, more tense and hard to understand. Was it really love? Or just pure jealousy, because Yusei wasn’t spending so much time with her anymore?

*** * ***

“Baby?” Crow murmured, seeing Hanako standing at the entrance into the garage, “What brings you back home so quickly? I thought you were with Yusei!”

“Ever heard about change of plan?” Hanako answered, looking like her world has fallen apart.

“Baby, what happened?” Crow saw the state Hanako was in, so he started worrying about her. He knew her so well, she wasn’t able to hide a single detail about her emotions from him!

“Crow”, Hanako murmured, seeing his concerned face, “I can’t go on like this!”

“Baby, what happened?” Crow ran to her, helping her go inside, “Don’t scare me like that!”

“I think I love him, Crow”, Hanako said, while her body was shivering and her eyes filled with tears.

“Love who?” Crow was confused at first.

“Yusei”, she answered, “I love Yusei, Crow! And it hurts so much!” She added, but she somehow refused to cry.

“Tell me something I don’t know, Baby”, Crow smirked, not seeing what was troubling her so much.

“Crow, it’s not funny!”

“Fine, fine... But you need to calm down first, OK?” Crow raised both his eyebrows, looking at Hanako with a soothing warmth in his eyes, so she nodded in understanding, taking a deep breath, when Yusei bumped into the garage out of nowhere!

“Baby!” He shouted, feeling his heart was in place, when he saw her in the garage. His voice made Hanako immediately turn around to see him, feeling like she was cornered.

“Yo, Yusei!” Crow saluted him, raising a hand, so Yusei approached him and Hanako, without any greetings.

“Are you avoiding me?” He asked, looking at Hanako, so Crow was completely confused, not knowing what was going on.

“Excuse me?” Hanako asked, as her eyes widened in shock.

“I asked are you avoiding me?” Yusei’s voice was calm and strangely peaceful for a situation like this one.

“I'm not avoiding you!”

“You are!”

“I'm not!” Hanako raised her voice, looking at Yusei’s eyes.

“Is it because of what happened that night?” Yusei’s question made Hanako lose her senses, as she was completely lost, losing every track of collection she had.

“Why are you bringin’ this up all of a sudden?”

“Just tell me the truth!” Yusei suddenly raised the tone of his voice.

“I already told you!”

“Tell me once again!”

Hanako looked at him powerlessly, feeling like she was cornered, “What do you want?”

“Look me in the eyes and tell me, are you avoiding me?” He grabbed her upper arms and pulled her closer to him.

“Yusei”, Hanako sighed, looking at him knowing how it was no use in arguing about it, so she tried to to calm down, “Yusei! I am not avoiding you, OK? I really have something important to do and now you’re in my way!”

“You’re lying!” Yusei exploded, making Crow realise he’s never seen him like that.

“Yusei”, Hanako murmured once again, feeling pain around her arms, as Yusei strengthened his hold.

“Yusei, that’s enough!” Crow shouted, grabbing his hands and separating him from Hanako.

“Fine”, Yusei gave up, “I’ll believe you!”

“Now, if you’ll excuse me”, Hanako corrected her dungarees and her shirt, getting ready to leave the garage, but just when she reached the doorway, she heard Yusei’s voice again.

“You know why I did it, right?!” He turned to her, seeing how she froze in place.

“I know, alright!”

“It was to save you!”

“Stop it!” Hanako shouted, feeling tears started falling down her face, “I said I know!” She screamed, feeling a great mix of anger, frustration, jealousy and pain inside of her and with Yusei acting so overprotective now, it just made it all worse! She tried to calm herself down, taking a deep breath, cutting the silence between them, “I get it, OK? And I already thanked you for that!”

“Baby, you can’t avoid me forever!”

“I said I’m not avoiding you!” Hanako grabbed her helmet, shutting the door behind her, leaving Crow and Yusei alone in the garage.

“Look what you’ve done now!” Crow hissed angrily, pointing at the door with his hands.

“I’m sorry”, Yusei just murmured, realising he overreacted.

“What’s wrong with you, man?” Crow asked, “In the last few days, you’re acting like a control freak!”

“I don’t know, Crow”, Yusei said, like he was only now coming back to reality, “You should’ve seen her! The fear in her eyes that night, how her body shivered... If I wasn’t there to save her, she would have been dea-“

“Stop, Yusei!” Crow shouted, making Yusei snap out of his fears, “You were there and you saved her! She is completely fine!”

“But still”, he said, as Crow realised he’s never seen Yusei like that, with so much fear in his eyes; he looked like he was in pain, like he was blaming himself for what happened to Hanako, “That feeling of losing her! That fear... I have never felt that way before. It’s like just the mere thought of her disappearing from my life is-“

“Yusei!” The garage door opened, interrupting Yusei’s words, as Jack entered inside like his life depended on it.

“Jack?” Crow asked, looking at him, how he ran down the stairs and grabbed Yusei’s shirt, pulling his face closer to his.

“If I find out something happened to her”, Jack started, hissing through his teeth with anger burning in his eyes.

“Jack, calm down”, Yusei said coldly, looking at Jack’s fist that was holding his shirt.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Jack shouted, “I saw her on her way out just now!” He started explaining the reason of his anger, “I don’t know what you did that night to her, but I swear to you, Yusei!” Jack’s anger was growing stronger and stronger, as he pulled Yusei’s face even closer to his, “If you ever hurt her feelings, I’ll hurt your face!”

“Cam down, Jack”, Crow realised it was now the best time for him to jump into the rescue, “Nothing happened that night. Yusei saved her, so let’s just be grateful he found her and stop with these lame game-fights, huh?!”

Jack looked at Yusei, piercing his soul the sharp look in his eyes, “Tch!” He murmured, letting Yusei go, “If it’s your fault she’s feeling down ever since that night, you’re not worth her attention!”

Yusei just looked at Jack for a second, before he took his helmet and started walking outside, so Crow stopped him, “Where do you think you’re going?”

“For a ride”, Yusei said calmly, putting his helmet on.

“Just do me a favour and leave Baby out of this for a while, will ya?” Crow added, seeing how Yusei revved his engine.

“Who said anything about me going to see her?”

“I warned you, Yusei!” Jack shouted, but regardless of his sharp words, Yusei was already gone and driving far, far away from the city to think about what happened and to clear his thoughts.


	28. The Darkness of Yusei's Heart Part II

21st Chapter

(following anime episodes 78 and 79)

**The Darkness of Yusei's Heart**

**Part II**

“Duel board?” Jack found himself in the garage, when Rua paid them a visit, because he was looking for Yusei.

“Yep!” Rua shouted happily, while he kept drawing what he saw at Luciano’s place, explaining it to Jack and Yusei, while they were standing before the whiteboard, looking what Rua was talking about, “The machine looked something like this and you could link up your Duel Disk here”.

“Now I get it”, Jack said, looking at how Rua pointed at his drawing, “With that, one could have a simplistic version of a Riding Duel!”

“Looks like a cool idea to me!” Hanako suddenly shouted, sneaking below Jack’s hand, jumping into their conversation, so Yusei looked at her with a strange facial expression, making Hanako raise an eyebrow at him, “What?” She knew they haven’t talked decently for a while; ever since he started controlling her and being overprotective. After she realised how he was looking at her, she got the need to explain herself, “The design is simple and if I remember well, we have enough scrap materials to build this thing tonight!”

Rua’s face brightly smiled at Hanako’s words, “So... Yusei, what’cha think?”

“Well”, he started, moving his look from Hanako back to Rua, “Baby is right; it’s pretty simple and we probably have enough materials to build it without having to go find spare parts to the junkyard”, Yusei was calm and wasn’t showing any signs of irritation, but Hanako felt he was somehow distant.

“I wanna beat that Luciano!” Rua shouted angrily, “I wanna win and bring him down!”

“Who is this Luciano anyway?” Hanako crossed her hands, looking at Jack.

“I’ll explain it to you later!” Jack murmured, seeing how Rua was pleading Yusei to do him a favour and build Duelling Board for him.

“C’mon, Yusei! Can you? C’mon, can you? Can you?”

“No debating it, it seems”, Yusei murmured, letting a sigh of defeat, knowing there was not much he could do to stop Rua from his plans.

“C’mon, Yusei”, Jack suddenly said with a smile on his face, when an idea popped into his mind, “What’s with that face of yours? Building a Duelling Board should be a piece of cake for you after you built your runner all by yourself”, he smirked, “Besides, you still have another pair of hands to help you!”

Hanako looked at Jack, seeing how he winked at her, realising what was on his mind, but Yusei seemed to be left confused, “Another pair of hands?”

“Don’t tell me you decided to help!” Rua was shocked.

“You dumb-heads! I’m talking about her!” Jack tapped Hanako’s back few times, so she had to step away in front of the whiteboard, because he hit her harder than she expected.

“Jack?!” She looked at him, trying to scold him with the look from her eyes, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“You’ll thank me later, Baby”, he just winked at her once again, “I’m going to leave you to do your work!” He added, leaving Hanako to blush in the middle of the garage, while Rua was looking at her.

“So... Are we starting or not?” Rua asked, grabbing Hanako’s dungarees and pulling them to gain her attention.

“Well”, she said, not knowing what to do, because the atmosphere in the garage was rather awkward, so she looked at Yusei, feeling like she doesn’t want to interact with him if she doesn’t have to, “I can redesign your drawing and make a base for your board!”

“And then we can test the size of your feet, to build up the support handles!” Yusei suddenly added with a smile, making Hanako’s heart to skip a beat at his words, knowing how it must be just her imagination to think there was something unsolved between them, but she refused to let her guard down so easily.

“And you will have to design a programme for the Duelling Board, because it’s not in my job description”, Hanako looked at Yusei with a slice of ire in her voice.

“You have a job?” Rua asked naively, not understanding what she wanted to say.

“It’s just a phrase, Rua”, Yusei explained, “And designing a programme is the least thing you have to worry about!”

“Perfect!” She said ironically, “Let’s get to work, then!” She moved to the desk, drawing a Duelling Board to make a design, before she gets the job done.

“What’s wrong with her?” Rua asked, blinking in confusion at Hanako’s reaction, hoping Yusei will have a good explanation for his question.

“I don’t know”, Yusei said calmly, “Come, let’s make a programme, while she’s designing your board”, he looked down to Rua with a smile, so he jumped happily, walking behind Yusei to the computer, where Yusei started programming the duelling system.

On the other side of the garage, Hanako was working hard on designing the Duelling Board. She grabbed all the parts she found useful and picked her drill to combine metal parts to look like something. It took her only few hours, but she was able to design a base and build the Duelling Board with complete duelling system underneath the base, so she smiled at her work, removing sweat from her forehead, when she suddenly heard Rua’s excited voice behind her back, “Baby, Yusei has finished with the programme!”

“Already?” She asked curiously, seeing Yusei was standing right behind Rua, nodding as a sign of truth in Rua’s words, “Then I guess it’s time for adjustments!” Hanako added, waving with her screwdriver.

“Yes!” Rua shouted, jumping happily, not realising Yusei already approached Hanako, looking at what she has done so far.

“May I?” Yusei murmured, reaching for the board that Hanako made, while he was keeping a smile on his face, as he stopped for a second, waiting for her to react, but she just nodded without saying a word, so he took the board and looked it more thoroughly, “Looks good!” he smiled, looking at Rua, “Are you ready for the size part?” He asked, seeing how Rua smiled happily and pushed his hand into the air.

“You bet I am!” He smiled brightly, making Hanako to giggle at his adorable childish reaction.

“Okay”, Yusei nodded, placing a board below Rua’s feet, “Place your foot here, I’ll try to adjust the size!” He said, showing Rua a place on the board where his feet should stand.

“Like this?” Rua asked, stepping onto the board with one foot.

“Perfect!” Yusei smiled, so Hanako handed him a pen to mark the size onto the board, “Is this comfortable enough?” He looked up at Rua, who was having a wide smile on his face, so Yusei knew he was already visioning himself duelling on this board.

“That’s it!” Hanako smiled, nodding with satisfaction in her heart, feeling so proud of herself for doing such an amazing work with the board, so she moved to her desk, building some upgrades, while Yusei was adding finishing touches to the Duelling Board. Rua was always somewhere near Yusei, but while he was finishing the programme, Rua fell asleep sitting next to him, waiting for Yusei to finish. Seeing his peaceful face that has already fallen asleep with a smile, Yusei took off his jacket and covered Rua with it, before he finished with his work.

“Yusei”, he heard Hanako whispering behind his back, so he looked over his shoulder at her, seeing her holding a duel disk in her hands, “I’m done with this. Maybe we should combine it all together to see if it works properly!”

“You’re right”, he whispered back, being careful not to wake Rua up. He moved away from the table where Rua fell asleep, moving the Duelling Board and the Duel Disk to Hanako’s table, placing everything there to keep an eye on all parts of the equipment, “Great work!”

“Thanks”, she murmured shyly, avoiding eye contact with him.

“I mean it, Baby!” Yusei said through a smile, gently taking her chin with his free hand and pulling her face up, trying to meet her gaze, “I wouldn’t have done it better myself!” But she just nodded, moving her look away again, trying to step back few inches, but Yusei grabbed her upper arm, stopping her from escaping his presence.

Hanako looked at his hand holding hers, “Yes?” She raised one eyebrow at him, moving her eyes up to look into his eyes.

“I’m sorry!”

“For what?”

“For”, he started, but then he looked like someone stole the words from his mouth, so he changed his mind, letting her go.

“For what?” Hanako crossed her hands, moving closer to him again, still looking deeply into his eyes, trying to make him speak it up.

“For being an idiot”, Yusei said through a whisper, so Hanako realised he was trying to apologise for what has happened between the two of them.

“And for not telling me the truth!”

“And for that too!” Yusei said without thinking, but then he looked at her, how she started giggling adorably, so he realised he rushed into conclusions with his apology, “Wait, what?”

“You’re not an idiot, Yusei”, she stopped laughing, “Therefore, you’re not telling me the truth!”

“Ah, you caught me”, he murmured, “I give up!” He smiled sincerely, feeling like the tension between them started disappearing slowly.

“I have nothing to forgive you”, Hanako said sweetly with a glow in her dark sapphire eyes, “I just want you to trust me. I know how to take care of myself and I don’t need you to protect me or to tell me what to do!”

“I know and I’m really sorry for what I said and for what I’ve done!” Yusei nodded, keeping his head bowed down, “I was just afraid of losing you that night!”

“But you didn’t”, she smiled, leaning towards his face, looking at his eyes again, “And if you don’t stop acting like Martha, I can’t guarantee you that it won’t happen!”

“I’m aware of that”, Yusei nodded, looking back at Hanako’s eyes, feeling that strange sensation again, like he wanted to keep her by his side forever, without her leaving his sight, “But just the thought of you not being here... Of you leaving my side... If I lose you, Baby, I would...”

Hanako’s eyes widened and their glow started trembling at Yuse’s words, feeling how he cupped her cheeks, while the warmth from his palms started burning her cheeks up, “Yusei, I am not going anywhere!” She whispered, feeling completely hypnotised by his closeness just like that one time, when he almost kissed her lips.

“I just wouldn’t stand losing you, Baby, because I need you by my side”, he murmured.

Hanako felt like she was going to let herself in, so she started thinking about what she should do to stop this feeling burning inside her heart, as thousands of thoughts started rushing through her mind, clenching her fists, feeling a screwdriver was still in her hand, so she raised that hand and pressed the screwdriver against Yusei’s chest, “Let’s finish this up, shall we?”

“Sure”, Yusei smiled after blinking few times, trying to move back to reality, knowing they promised Rua to finish his Duelling Board, so that he can beat Luciano and prove himself to be a great duellist! He saw how Hanako winked at him playfully, moving away from his embrace and turning her back to him, approaching the table to start working on finishing Rua’s Duelling Board.

*** * ***

Mornings in Neo Domino City were coming so soon, not eve Crow was able to cope with them, when he woke up, getting downstairs to the garage while yawning, when he encountered Jack under such strange circumstances. He was sitting around the table, drinking his coffee that Hanako bought just the other day.

“Jack, what are you doing?” Crow asked with confusion in his eyes, trying to understand what was going on, “I don't remember that table and those chairs being in this house before”.

“Yeah, I made it from leftover parts”, Jack said calmly, taking a sip of his morning coffee, making Crow lean over the stair railing, as his face was now closer to Jack’s.

“That's pretty handy!” Crow smiled, taking a few seconds to look at what Jack’s done, “Oh, I see! You're finally starting to save up money!”

“Yeah, something like that”, Jack nodded, so Crow sat down across him.

“Just wait ‘til Hanako sees this!” Crow shouted excitedly, seeing how Jack was so proud of himself, “What a change of heart. Now you don't have to go waste money at the coffee shop across the street!” He was happy to see Jack finally did something about their savings, but then he looked around the garage, realising Yusei and Hanako were not at home, “Where'd Yusei go?”

“Probably to test out the new engine!

“Probably?” Crow raised one eyebrow at Jack.

“When I got up, he was already gone”, he explained.

“That Yusei”, Crow murmured, rolling his eyes, “Leaving so early! And Hanako is not any different!”

“She went to the grocery store an hour ago”.

“Wait, how do you now that?” Crow was left confused.

“I woke up just before she left”, Jack answered calmly, “As for Yusei, he was already out of here... Not even she knows where he went”.

“Now I wonder where did she found money for that stuff?” Crow said, taking a mug and pouring some coffee into it.

“Have no idea”, Jack shrugged, “You should ask her, when she gets back!”

“She's really trying hard”, Crow murmured, deeply thinking about Hanako and how she was working hard day and night, “Just like him!” Crow moved his head, looking at the engine prototype, “Yusei really should take a break... I don't like that development on that engine has been pretty slow. Don't you think he's under a lot of pressure?”

“Hasn’t Hanako already constructed the new engine?” Jack was left confused.

“She did, but without a proper programme, we can’t use it to the fullest and now it’s all up to Yusei to design the programme for our runners!” Crow explained, thinking about how Hanako and Yusei were doing all they could in the last couple of months, while all he did was driving his Blackbird around, delivering the packages, “Ahhh... How lame! We're not able to help him in any way whatsoever!”

“It's sad... And yet true”, Jack agreed, as the sound of cracking started getting louder and louder, before everything fell apart, making Jack and Crow fall down from their chairs. The table was completely destroyed and everything turned back to a pile of scraps, just like it was before Jack made something out of them.

“What the hell, man?!” Crow shouted, lying on the floor, frozen in place, “Can't you make a chair that doesn't fall apart?”

“I don't remember making it for you!” Jack answered proudly, because he was able to save his cup of coffee that was still in his hands, as he was lying down on the ground, surrounded by a pile of junk.

“It seems that... Without Yusei, we can't do anything”, Crow sighed.

“I have to admit it, but you're right!” Jack took a sip of his coffee, when Hanako bumped into the garage, after she heard loud noises that could only mean trouble.

“What's that noise?!”She shouted, rushing inside like the house was on fire. She looked around, holding a paper bag full of groceries, “Guys, what's going on?!” She asked, trying to catch her breath.

“Oh, Baby! Welcome back!” Jack said with a smile, not moving from the ground, so Crow did the same.

“Yo, Baby... What's up?”

“I went to the grocery store to buy something for lunch”, she answered, coming inside.

“Ah, yeah”, Crow smiled, “Jack told me...”

“Just what happened here?” She was looking around to see the scrap-metal parts over the garage, spread all around like someone moved a junkyard to their garage.

“Jack tried to make a table with chairs out of scraps, so we tested it and...”

“That explains all this mess”, Hanako murmured, approaching Yusei’s table with a computer to place the paper bag with groceries on it, “Jack, you should've told me! I could make it for you without sweating!”

“We didn't want to interrupt you while you're working on the new engine”, Crow started.

“Yeah, right”, she rolled her eyes, not buying his excuse, so she came to them and laid down on the ground with them, looking at the ceiling, “What a lovely view!” She joked ironically.

“Baby, what are you doing?” Jack asked, moving his eyes to see her clearly.

“Putting myself in your shoes”, she giggled.

“Ah, that reminds me”, Crow suddenly shouted, “Where did you get the money for shopping?”

“I earned it yesterday”, Hanako answered.

“Yesterday?”

“Yes, Crow”, she answered, “I'm working hard, you know?!”

“Sure... Just like him!” Jack sighed, remembering his conversation with Crow.

“Him?!”

“Yusei”, Crow explained, “We were just talking about him... And how he seems to be under a lot of pressure lately”, he finished, placing his hands behind his neck, as he leaned his head onto them to make the lying on the ground more comfortable.

“Oh, Yusei is just...” She murmured, saddening her face, like she knows something more that is hidden behind Yusei’s strange behaviour lately.

“I see you made up, huh?” Crow smirked, teasing Hanako.

“We did, so what now?” She blushed, trying to avoid the conversation about Yusei again.

“Did something happen to him?” Jack jumped into their conversation, thinking about Yusei.

“No, but...” Hanako looked at the engine, “He's still not back, huh?” She decided not to talk about it, because it hurts her, too. She was blaming herself for everything, because she was too weak and couldn’t escape Ghost’s wicked games and after crashing, Yusei probably started blaming himself for hurting her.

“No”, Jack said.

“Hey, guys”, Crow suddenly murmured, “You think we'll ever fully understand Yusei?”

“What do you mean?” Jack asked with confusion in his eyes.

“It's true that by uniting everyone's strength, we saved the city”, Crow started, “Then we managed to unite Neo Domino City and Satellite and finished up the Neo Daedalus Bridge”, he remembered Yusei’s duel with Rudger and how Yusei went through a lot of pain, because of everything that happened, “But you know... During the battle against the Dark Signers, I heard about the cries in his heart...”

_In the old Momentuum, during Yusei’s duel with Rudger; Ushio, Rua and Ruka were standing at the beginning of the bridge, watching how Rudger made Yusei burst out, filled with different emotions, “If not for my dad's research, the incident seventeen years ago would have been prevented. That incident took Jack, Crow and Hanako's parents! It threw everyone's lives out of whack! If it hadn't happened, we would all have warm parents and would be living happy lives! And despite that, why do they recognise me as their friend? Smile upon me without me asking?!” Yusei was feeling so much pain, finally letting out the burden he has been carrying in his heart for such a long time, not able to sustain himself from letting a tear fall down his face, “What should I do?! How do I make it up to them?! Answer! Answer me, Rudger!”_

_Rudger smirked at his words, feeling proud how he was able to push it all out of Yusei’s soul, “Is that the darkness in your heart?”_

_“I'll answer that, Yusei!” Crow found himself at the bottom of the Momentuum, hearing every word Yusei said, so he decided to step in and put some sense into Yusei._

_“Crow?” Yusei was left surprised, looking down at Crow standing below his feet with tears in his eyes._

_“Yusei, you’ve been living all this time, shouldering those emotions, haven't you? Forgive me! I'm your friend, and yet I never once noticed!”_

_“Crow...”_

_“But, Yusei, I never once thought that the way my life turned out was your old man's fault. That's why you don't need to take responsibility for that! If I do have a fate, it's simply because I met you! Simply because I met you and Jack”, Crow stopped for a moment, thinking about their past and what all of them have been through, “And her... Remember Hanako, Yusei! She changed my life forever! She was the one who gathered us all together again... Into the group of irreplaceable friends!” Crow smiled softly at the memory of his friends, letting tears fall down his face, “Yusei, win! For us!”_

_“Crow!” Yusei nodded with a determination in his smile, so Crow knew his words reached Yusei’s heart!_

Jack and Hanako were listening to Crow’s words, while he was remembering everything that happened, when finally Hanako decided to say something, “Wow, he really said that?”

“You don't seem surprised...”

“Because it was just the matter of time”, Hanako explained to Crow, “I'm just surprised it came out of his heart so soon...”

“So that's the darkness of Yusei's heart”, Jack murmured, thinking deeply about what Crow just said.

“Yeah”, Crow added, “He held those feelings deep inside his heart this entire time without telling us!”

“Well... Took you long enough to figure it out!” Hanako giggled.

“We don't know him that well like you do, Baby!” Jack rolled his eyes.

“He's been through a lot, guys”, Hanako said, “It's something he can and has to solve with himself only...”

“Anyway!” Crow interrupted her, “I don't want Yusei to feel that way anymore!”

“But Yusei won't lose to something like that!” Jack shouted proudly.

“Heh, that's true!” Crow had to agree with him, while Hanako just kept listening to their conversation.

“He is the only man who managed to change my life”, Jack answered, while looking at the ceiling, “He's the only rival I ever recognised in my life!”

“Wait?!? The _only_ one?!” Crow shouted, jumping up, “Then what about me?”

“Well, you are”, Jack looked at him from the ground, “One of my pleasant companions”.

“What did you say?!” Crow shouted back, feeling anger rising inside of him, but then he looked at Hanako, trying to make Jack pull back what he said, “Oh, and what about Baby?”

“I'm not a guy, Crow!” Hanako rolled her eyes.

“So what?”

“He said _man_!”

“Damn, you... Jack!!!” Crow shouted, running to Jack, wanting to punch him in the face, but then Hanako jumped up and stood between the two of them.

“Guys, calm down!”

“Tch! Serves you right!” Crow hissed, backing away, seeing Jack getting up and approaching his runner, “Hey, where are you going?”

“It's been a while since I've been riding with Yusei!” Jack said, sitting on his runner and putting the helmet on.

“Hey, wait up! In that case, I'm going, too!” Crow shouted, running to his Blackbird.

“Wait, Crow!” Hanako shouted, grabbing her helmet, “And who's going to make lunch?!”

“You take care of it!” Crow answered, revving his engine and driving away with Jack, “Oh, my wrenches! You ain't gonna have fun without me!” Hanako murmured, jumping on her D-Wheel and trying to catch the speed of Jack and Crow, which wasn't a problem, since she had improved her engine.

“Baby, you too?” Jack asked, raising one eyebrow, seeing Hanako driving behind him.

“I wouldn't miss it for the world!” She smiled brightly, keeping up with the pace of their runners.

“All right, guys!” Crow shouted happily, “Let's do this for Yusei just like the old days!”

“Sure!” Hanako nodded, but then Jack’s facial expression changed.

“Any idea where he might be?”

“I know only one place...”

“Yeah”, Crow agreed with Hanako’s words.

“Let's hurry then!” Jack shouted, speeding up, but Hanako managed to outrun both him and Crow, disappearing in a minute from their sight.

*** * ***

Yusei was standing in the tower, looking at the New Momentum in Neo Domino City, thinking about the new engine, Accel Synchro, Ghost and everything else that happened... He was lost in his thoughts, trying to calm his mind and try to find a proper solution for the problems that suddenly captured them all. He knew all too well that the future of entire humanity was resting on his back, making him unsure if he was able to take this responsibility, but he soon snapped out of his thoughts, when he heard Hanako’s voice behind his back.

“I knew I’d find you here!”

“Baby?” Yusei turned around, seeing her approaching him with a smile on her face. She moved to the fence of the tower, looking down at Neo Domino City, “You got a breathtaking view from over here!”

“Yeah”, he nodded, looking how she jumped and sat down onto the fence, turning her back to the city.

“We were just talking about you”, she started, looking at him with a smile.

“You?”

“Yeah”, she nodded, “Jack, Crow and I”, Hanako explained to him, “They are on their way to here!”

Yusei turned around, seeing Jack and Crow were nowhere to be seen, “You must have left them pretty far behind, if they’re still not here!”

“Because I finally constructed a new engine!”

“You did what?!”

“You heard me!” Hanako smiled brightly, waving with her legs like a little girl, feeling so happy, because she was finally able to do something so amazing.

“When?”

“Few days ago!”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were busy with spending most of your time with Aki”, Hanako answered with slice of jealousy in her voice, but just when she said it, she hoped Yusei wouldn’t notice.

“Ah, yeah”, Yusei looked at her like he remembered something, “She was going through a lot, because of her licence!”

“She’s really trying hard”, Hanako added, wanting to see Yusei’s reaction, hoping it won’t hurt her again like the last time, “It’s hard to believe she is doing all that just because of you...”

“What do you mean?” Yusei raised both his eyebrows, looking at Hanako with confusion in his eyes, but then he realised Hanako gave him back the same look, so he decided to just put it to the side, “Tell me more about the engine!”

“It’s done! I just need you to make a better programme that will be more compatible with Speed World II and my engine construction”, she said, pulling her hand up into the air, as she shouted happily, “And we will ride with the speed of sound!” But just when she shouted, she got too excited and lost her balance, as her body started falling behind, over the fence, so she tensed her leg muscles, holding herself with her knees, but Yusei managed to react just in time. He moved to her, wrapping his hands around her waist, pulling her upper body towards him.

“That was close!” Yusei let a sigh of relief, holding Hanako in his arms, feeling how she wrapped her hands around his neck to hold onto him, not to fall down.

“Nice catch!” She smiled, looking at his eyes, feeling his warm breath caressing her face, while their noses were touching.

“Why do I feel like I’ve already done this before?”

“If you think about saving my life”, Hanako smirked, “You should start counting!”

“I had something else in my mind!”

“Mind sharing it with me?” Hanako murmured, feeling lost in the blue of his eyes.

“I prefer showing it to you”, he whispered back wearing a smirk on his face.

“Be my guest”, Hanako bit her lower lip shyly, feeling Yusei’s soft hair below her fingers, as he kept holding her in his arms, while she was leaned over the tower fence. She saw how Yusei was looking at her and she couldn’t escape that glow from his eyes. She felt her own heart beating in her chest, while he kept his face so close to hears, she could almost feel her upper lip leaned against his skin, but then she saw something moving behind Yusei’s shoulder so she moved her look away.

Yusei realised Hanako’s eyes were focused onto something behind his back, so he put her safely onto the ground and turned around to see what was going on, seeing Jack and Crow approaching them, “Sure enough you're here!” Jack said proudly.

“Jack... Crow...”

“The scenery is still amazing here!” Crow said, seeing the look at the city from the tower, trying to act like nothing was going on, even though he was spying on Hanako and Yusei just a second ago, only he asked Jack to leave them alone for a while, before interrupting them so soon.

“Neo Domino City started changing a lot half a year ago and is still growing”, Jack noticed, so Yusei moved away from the fence, walking few steps toward the guys.

“Hanako told me you’re coming”, Yusei said, seeing how Crow just nodded in agreement.

“We just came to see you”, Jack added.

“Yeah”, Crow agreed, “And judging from the pose we found you in, I guess Hanako already told you about the engine!” Crow chuckled, looking how Hanako’s cheeks started blushing softly.

Crow’s look took Yusei’s attention, so he saw that cute blush on Hanako’s cheeks, deciding to just skip the first part of Crow’s sentence, “She did! But... At this rate, I can't beat him!”

“Ghost, huh?” Jack murmured.

“Yeah”, Yusei answered coldly, so Hanako realised how warmth already disappeared from his eyes, “He's a powerful opponent.

“But I thought we're through with that guy...” Hanako couldn’t keep herself silent at his words.

“But in the end, what was he anyway?” Crow asked, “Even if he was a machine, there should be someone that was controlling him, because after he crashed, he attacked again!”

“Not just once!” Hanako added, remembering that night Ghost made her crash, feeling her body shivered with fear at the mere thought of it.

“I'm wondering about their presence”, Yusei murmured, while his face was still thinking deeply, as he was looking distant.

“What do you mean?” Hanako asked him, moving closer to him, looking at his eyes, realising how he was thinking about something, losing the sense of a present moment.

“Yliaster!”

“Yliaster?” Crow asked, after Yusei mentioned them, coming to his senses, “Are you saying that they were the ones who sent Ghost?”

“During my battle with Rudger, he mentioned that he met a man at the Nasca Lines claiming to be from Yliaster...”

“Looks like that duel revealed more than I thought”, Hanako murmured.

“I have heard of that name many times from Godwin”, Jack started, remembering his life at Neo Domino City, “A secret organisation that controls the world. Their establishment can be tracked back to ancient times!”

“Yliaster used both Godwin and Rudger”, Yusei turned to Jack, “They're the ones behind Neo Domino City's Zero Reverse incident!”

“There!” Hanako shouted happily, “Finally a good reason to stop blaming yourself for that incident!”

“Baby!” Crow scolded her through a whisper, so she looked at him with a judgement in her eyes, like she couldn’t find any guilt in her words that she could be scolded for, but Yusei didn’t seem to mind her words at all.

“And I've recently heard that name again!”

“What was that?” Jack became curious.

“Oh, you mean when Sherry told you about it?” Hanako suddenly said, feeling like a detective that was trying to solve Yusei’s puzzled words, remembering how Sherry mentioned Yliaster during her duel with Yusei.

“Sherry?” Jack raised an eyebrow at Hanako.

“Oh, amazing chick!” Hanako clapped her hands few times, “You gotta see the way she duels!” She smiles, leaving Jack even more confused, when Crow moved their conversation back to Yliaster.

“So Yliaster is involved with the deaths of that D-Wheeler, Sherry's parents?!”

“If what Sherry said is true, then Yliaster is involved with the W.R.G.P.!” Yusei explained.

“So you think that it won't be any normal tournament?” Jack assumed the point behind Yusei’s words.

“Yeah”, Yusei nodded, “I have this feeling that there is a huge conspiracy behind the W.R.G.P. I just can't escape that feeling!”

“Awww”, Hanako sighed, completely disappointed, “Just when I thought things started turning back to normal!”

“What do you mean by _conspiracy_?” Crow asked curiously.

“I don't know much yet”.

“Getting involved into this”, Jack said with not so pleased look on his face, “We're like insects walking around in a jungle!”

“I'm like this!” Crow shouted, ready to fight, as he made a fighting pose to joke around, punching his fists into the air, “Bring on any traps!” But then he saw the way Jack was looking at him, so he laughed, “What's wrong Jack? You scared?”

“You saying something like that to me... Have you hit your head, Crow?” Hanako giggled at their funny relationship, when Jack added, “If anyone decides to stand in the way of Jack Atlas, I'll use my power to crush them!”

“Yeah!” Yusei joined them, “No matter what happens, we must protect this city!”

“You can count me in!” Hanako jumped happily, seeing how guys nodded at her words.

“If Ghost was really controlled by Yliaster”, Yusei started, still deeply thinking about it all, “Then we have to defeat Ghost no matter what! And there's only one way to do that!”

“By duelling!” Hanako added, feeling overly excited at the fighting spirit that was burning in each one of them.

“I think Yusei had something else on his mind”, Jack murmured, looking at Yusei’s reaction to Hanako’s words, seeing how his look became more serious.

“It's a new strategy that strange guy showed me...”

Crow looked at him, trying to figure out what Yusei was trying to say, but then he remembered that strange guy from few days ago and how something strange happened during Yusei’s duel with him, “It's true that we couldn't see anything that guy did in that light back then...”

“What in the world happened back then?” Jack asked curiously.

“Back then he”, Yusei murmured, entering the back of his memories, thinking about his duel with that stranger, who showed him Accel Synchro, “He performed Accel Snychro!”

“Accel synchro?!” Jack and Crow shouted in unison.

“Yes!” Yusei nodded, “The ultimate synchro summon!”

“I see”, Jack murmured, “With that method, you can also avoid that robot's strange capture effect!”

“Exactly”, Yusei smiled, “By surpassing my own limitation, I will be able to perform Synchro Summon!”

Hanako looked at Yusei, trying to figure out what kind of summon would that be, “So now you have to figure out how to do that?”

“But is there such thing as _surpassing your own limitations_?” Crow asked with mix of both worry and curiosity in his voice.

“There has to be!” Yusei said, moving back to the fence, looking at the city, “Beyond the limits of speed... Is a world we have yet to see!”

“Now things are starting to get interesting!” Crow approached Yusei and looked at the city with him, “Let's do it! I wouldn't be Crow the Bullet-sama if I lost to that speed!”

“Beyond your own limitations, huh?” Jack joined them, as the silence took over, while Hanako was just looking at them three, before Jack started again, “Now that you mentioned that, I can't keep still!”

“And to do that, we must improve Hanako’s new engine!” Yusei added, remembering how she already constructed it, so all that’s left was a duelling programme.

“Then you know what to do”, Hanako said happily, standing next to Crow, leaning over the fence, looking to her left to see Jack and Yusei too.

“And if you need any help, ask away!” Jack smiled, winking at Hanako.

“You bet!” Crow smiled, agreeing with Jack’s words, “We'll help you in any way we can!”

“Right!” Yusei smiled,turning his back to the city and clenching his right fist, reaching his hand before his friends, so everyone did the same, as their fists touched each other, combining together into a circle. They all looked at each other with a smile, while their eyes were filled with determination to win this battle and do everything in their power to win W.R.G.P. and put an end to Yliaster’s evil plans once and for all!

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: The original characters and plot are the property of the author of Yu-Gi-Oh!. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material.  
> Copyright ©1996 KAZUKI TAKAHASHI and KONAMI


End file.
